Different Destinies
by SydneyDrew59
Summary: Power Rangers SPD takes a different turn when Syd is captured by Grumm when she was a little kid. Syd is destined to finish what Astronema started, becoming Princess of evil. Will she fulfill this destiny or will she turn to the side of good. Review!
1. Children

**Different Destinies**

**Summary: **This is a redo of Power Rangers SPD. Syd never joined SPD, instead she was captured by Grumm. Sydney is destined to be the next princess of evil. Will she fulfill her destiny or will she return to the side of good.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from Power Rangers SPD. I wish I could own Sky and Syd, but I don't.

**Prologue: Children**

Carter Grayson and his beautiful wife, Dana Mitchell- Grayson were sitting side by side on the comfy, yet elegant couches of their classic style living room. They were flipping through old and memorable photo albums. The albums contained photos from Carter and Dana's first date to photos of them holding their daughter in their arms. They were thinking about how young they looked on those pictures, almost like love- struck teenagers on their first date.

Suddenly, their laughter and the words that were coming out of their mouths stopped. Silence fell all over the room, not even a single sound would be produced. Dana shifted her gaze to the photo of her daughter. She passed her hand slowly through the picture, she then felt someone gripping her hand tightly, it was Carter's hand gripping hers. Carter also looked at the picture, a beautiful baby girl in the arms of her lovable mother and father. Carter's eyes turned to face Dana.

"What are you thinking about, Dana?"

"About our daughter, Sydney." Dana confessed

"What about her?" Carter questioned his wife

"You heard what Cruger said, Carter. " Dana paused. "She is going to develop her powers anytime soon, and I'm... worried."

"What are you worried about? You know that Kat can give her a medical exam anytime."

"I know that and I can Syd a medical exam anytime. In case you have forgotten, I _am _a doctor." She snapped and then sighed, " I'm just worried about someone wanting to hurt our baby, even more importantly about her joining SPD."

"She is safe, Cruger said that he would provide us with protection the moment Syd discovered her powers." Carter said and then pulled his wife into a warm embrace.

They both then heard footsteps that came from the white marble staircase. They were soft, but loud enough to be heard all around the house. Carter and Dana walked slowly to the staircase. The figure was revealed to be in fact, 7- year- old, Sydney Grayson coming down the elegant staircase. She looked beautiful as always, her blond hair pulled back into half a pony tail, always wearing pink dresses and shirts and elegant flats that graced her feet. Today, she had chosen a white sun dress with light pink accents and a pair of simple white flats. Syd ran over to her father and mother's embrace and gave them both a kiss on the cheek.

"You look beautiful, Princess." Carter told Syd

"Thank you Daddy." She said in a peppy voice her shiny blue eyes shifted to her mother "Mommy, when is Sky going to arrive?" she whimpered

"Don't be impatient, Princess. Sky is arriving in fifteen minutes, you know he lives 1 hour away from here." Dana scolded her

"Besides, Aunt Jen, Uncle Wes and Sky are going to stay a few nights here. Their house is being remodeled." Carter reminded Syd and Dana. By house he actually meant mansion, the Collins- Tate family were extremely wealthy. Syd's family was also wealthy, their mansion was not bigger than Sky's but she loved it there.

'Ding- Dong' The ringing of the doorbell filled the home with joy and excitement. Syd rushed over to the grand entrance and tried to reach the metal knob on the front door. Seeing no way to reach the door on her petite frame, Syd stood on her tiptoes and turned the knob slowly until it finally opened, revealing three of her favorite people in the whole world. On contrast to them, the Tate-Collins family had brown eyes and and chocolate brown hair, except for Sky who had a mix of both his father's and mother's hair and deep blue eyes. Syd rushed over to 9- year-old Sky Tate-Collins and hugged him tightly. The hug ended and the kids' eyes met.

"Hi Syd." Sky said sheepishly

"Hi Sky." Syd asked, she moved on to greet her aunt and uncle whom she loved.

"Hello Syd, where is your mommy?" Jen questioned her

"She's at the kitchen, Aunt Jenny." Syd responded

"I'm going inside Wes." Her gaze flipped to Sky. "Now you two go play outside." Syd smiled

"You two behave well and play nicely, young man." Wes scolded his son

"Yes sir." Sky saluted with the classic SPD salute

"Let's go play outside in the yard." Syd ordered

"OK, but I will choose the game." Both kids rushed rapidly to the back door and opened the sliding glass door. The kids went down the stone steps and ran over to the bright green grass. Sky and Syd settled down and sat down at the same time.

"What do you want to play, Sky?"

"I want to play Power Rangers and I'm going to be the Red Ranger, just like my father." Sky said proudly

"And I'm going to be the Pink Ranger, just like my mommy." Syd mumbled

"OK, you will be captured by the monster and I'll rescue you." He ordered

The game continued for hours and soon the night fell over New Tech City and the kids kept playing until dinner.


	2. Captured and Branded

_This story is dedicated to Pink Green and White 4ever and to Phantom Rouge, and of course to my loyal suscribers, whom I love to write for. These two authors have inspired me greatly to keep writing my stories. Greetings to everyone! Please review!!  
_

**Summary of last chapter: **Dana worries about Sydney's powers and for the future of her daughter, Carter comforts her. We meet Wes and Jen once again and their little boy, Sky Tate. Sky and Syd play together.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from Power Rangers SPD. I wish I could own Sky and Syd, but I don't.

**Captured**

Dinner had officially ended three hours ago and the Mitchell- Grayson manor was filled with a deadly silence. Everyone in the house was now asleep tightly, not even the sound of the tree branches hitting softly against the glass windows could wake them up.

Syd was struggling to sleep, she had her eyes closed but she was still conscious. She just couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen. She desperately wanted to know what was about to happen, but she couldn't find any answer to it. She tried to wander off to a peaceful sleep once again, just as her many other several attempts to do this, she failed. She hugged Peanuts the stuffed animal tightly, almost ripping its head off.

Whys was she scared? Why couldn't she shake that negative feeling off? Why couldn't she forget about it and go to sleep? The questions flashed through her mind quickly. The sound of the trees bashing into the windows made her open her blue eyes completely.

Then the unwanted and already predicted by 7-year-old Sydney Drew happened. A loud explosion noise filled the entire manor. The sound of footsteps approaching her room made her jump a little bit. The door swooshed open revealing her parents standing outside her room.

"Mommy, what's happening?" Sydney asked, still shaken up from the explosion

"There's someone attacking the house!" Dana spat. Syd started crying and Carter pulled her into his arms. The hug ended and Syd was face to face with her father once again. He kneeled down and grabbed his daughter's hand with his. His hazel eyes met her watery blue eyes.

"Syd, you have to go hide with Sky and leave this fight to us." Syd just nodded her head in disagreement

"No, I'm not leaving you and mommy alone." Pain read all over through Syd's face, she couldn't hide it. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Syd, you have to go hide. Please do this for me and daddy." She quickly understood that all her parents wanted was for her to be safe, she nodded her head slowly and ran to the closet where she knew Sky was hiding.

She ran desperately inside of the cleaning supplies closet and crouched to the wooden floor in the small storage room. She sat besides Sky and clutched his hand tightly in hers.

Her parents in the other hand had just met with the responsible of the attack. It was not a human, not even a burglar as Syd had suspected. It was worse than that, much more worse than that. The attacker was an alien and it was not a cute green one with big and weird black eyes kind of alien, as it was pictured in weird magazines and publications. It was a grim-looking alien, it had a skeleton appearence with flashy red eyes and two big horns on the top of his head. The creature walked over to the kids' parents and looked directly into their eyes, quickly filling everyone with fear. Dana shot a disgusted look at the skeleton-like creature standing in front of her.

"Who are you?" Dana snapped

"Who I am is not important, what I want is the important thing here." The creature snickered. Then, a creature, correction a robot, walked over to him. The skeleton whispered something to him, something the parents did not listen to.

"What exactly do you want?" Jen said harshly

"You'll see what I want in a moment." The creature snapped his fingers and some of his robotic soldiers came to him, including a new creature which had a big cape and a glass jar covering his head.

Then Sky came screaming and his deep blue eyes filled with tears. He ran to his dad and mom and hugged them. Dana's eyes started to filll with tears as she understood what the skeleton wanted, Carter embraced his wife.

"Where is our daughter?" Carter screamed

"Don't worry your daughter is safe... with me." He started laughing evilly

"What are you going to do with her?" Jen asked

"That... is none of your business." The other creature said from inside of his glass encase, all of the adults shot the creature a defaint look

"Now take the girl away Broodwing, I'll pay you for your services later." The skeleton creature said to the other creature.

"Yes, Emperor." With that said, all of the creatures in the manor disappeared in a flash of light and left the house in a mess and with a big loss to everyone, Sydney Grayson.

_**Somewhere in the universe**_

Sydney was dragged by her arms to the main chamber of the creature's ship, or what looked like a ship. She hadn't said anything since she had arrived or was captured that same night. Her blue eyes started filling with tears, but she knew she had to be strong. Not only for herself, but for her parents, aunt Jen, uncle Wes and most importantly... for Sky. The creature with the glass case over his head brought her down to her knees.

"Now kneel in front of the future emperor of the universe." Syd stayed quiet, she knew it was better for her own sake not to protest

"Don't scare the poor girl, Broodwing." The skeleton helped Syd up and stood mightly before her. "After all, she _will_ help us in our goal."

Sydney then heard other footsteps approaching the quarters. She listened closely to the footsteps. Syd heard a clicking of heels against the ship's floor. Syd immediately thought that this someone or something was a woman. The figure came into the room, as Syd had guessed, it was evidently a woman. The woman looked several years older than her, she had long raven hair that fell all the way, up to her well- defined hips. She looked normal, except for a little detail on her face, she had a purple thunder drawn just under her right eye. She shot a disgusted look at Syd. She had obviously taken an immediate hate to the seven-year-old.

"Is _this_ the little brat you told me about?" The raven haired girl remarked

"Yes she is, she may not seem like much. But in a few years, we'll see the real potential of her powers." The skeleton said

"Years!? Grumm, you know I'm not getting any younger! I can't and won't wait that long fo her to get those stupid powers." The raven- haired girl screamed frustatedly

Syd had already learned two of the villians' names. The skeleton creature's name was Grumm, or Emperor Grumm as the other creature called him. The other creature's name was Broodwing, but Syd was still curious about learning the woman's name. Sydney started feeling sleepy and accidentally let out a yawn from her mouth. Emperor Grumm turned to face her.

"Are you tired?" Grumm questioned her, Syd was still scared and stepped back a bit

"Yes... yes... Emperor." She said nervously

"Don't be scared, Sydney." Grumm walked over to her and stroked her face lightly, Syd didn't respond. "We are not going to hurt you. We are actually going to help you."

"OK, Emperor." Syd muttered under her breath

"Very well, now let's brand her." Broodwing said

"Brand me? I'm not an animal!" Syd screamed

"Yes, don't worry, it will only hurt the first few days." Broodwing said without noticing her

"Besides, if you escape, the brand will help us locate you. If you ever try to escape, I'll personally kill you." The raven- haired girl snickered

The raven- haired girl approached her and brought her to her knees. She opened the back of Syd's light pink nightgown and looked for the perfect place to put the brand on. She decided that she would put the brand on the middle of her back and proceeded to sticking the hot iron against Syd's delicated skin. She slowly pressed the iron against Syd's skin, Syd tried to contain herself from crying. She failed not to cry and let the tiny tears roll down her cheeks freely. The other girl had already finished branding her and removed the iron from Syd's skin.

Grumm approached her and observed the brand closely. The brand consisted of two diagonal waves with two points on oppsite side of the waves. Grumm touched it and Syd flinched. The tears stopped and Syd yawned again, she was really exhausted after everything that had happened that night.

"Morgana, the brand is a real piece of art." Grumm bragged

"In my native homeland's sign language that means evil." Morgana informed

"Broodwing, you will receive the payment for your services later. Morgana take Sydney to her room, I the Krybots already moved in her personal belongings." He ordered

Grumm and Broodwing exited the main quarters of the ship and Morgana was left with Sydney. Morgana took Syd's small hand and took her to a room in the back part of the ship, where Morgana's room was also located. Syd didn't even noticed her room. the only thing she did spot was her bed. She flopped down on it and quickly fell asleep. Morgana shut Syd's door and Sydney began sobbing once again.

_AN: If you don't understand the description of Syd 's brand, just think about Lana's/ Isobel's tattoo in Smallville, I got my insipiration for the brand there. If you are wondering how Syd looks when she is little, think about the actress who played young Beth in Moonlight._


	3. Eleven Years Later

_Author's note: This story is dedicated to Pink Green and White 4ever and to Phantom Rouge, and of course to my loyal subscribers, whom I love to write for. These two authors have inspired me greatly to keep writing my stories. Greetings to everyone! Please review! I'm terribly sorry for the delay, I apologize to everyone. It's just I've been really busy with school and everything, I hope everyone likes this chapter._

**Summary of last chapter: **The Grayson home is attacked by Grumm and Broodwing. Carter, Dana, Wes and Jen do their best to protect Sky and Syd, but sadly fail to do so. Grumm captures Syd and takes her aboard his ship. Morgana brands Sydney on the back, telling the innocent 7 year old that if she ever tries to escape, that she would kill her.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from Power Rangers SPD.Otherwise I would have absolutely had given Syd and Sky an onscreen kiss. I wish I could own Sky and Syd, but I don't.

**Eleven Years Later**

Sydney woke up that morning feeling weirdly happy. She jumped down from her bed and went to the central chamber of the ship. As she was walking, Syd remembered that she was barefoot and the floor was extremely cold, as it always had been. When Syd reached the chamber, she was indeed shocked at what she had found. A rectangle shaped cake covered in pink and white frosting was lying in the middle of a table. She rushed over to it and opened her mouth in awe, and stared at it in a genuine look of shock and surprise. She was so distracted and blown away that she didn't even hear the footsteps that were approaching her.

Syd felt a bony hand touching her shoulder, she jumped in terror and quickly turned around. She calmed down and looked at the creature with relief. It was just Grumm, she calmed down and stared at him quietly. Grumm circled her several times, looking at her from head to toe. Syd gave him quizzical look for his rather strange behavior. Gruum stopped his circling and faced Syd. Grumm turned around and grabbed a knife, he carefully cut a piece of the cake and placed it on a plastic plate that was on the table. He picked the plate up with his right hand and handed it to Syd. Syd was really confused now.

"Sydney let's go sit. I need to speak with you." He ordered, without protest Syd followed him to the table and sat down besides him.

"Thank you for the cake."

"You deserve it, after all, it is your 18th birthday today." He complimented

"Yeah, I know it's my birthday, but you have never bought me a cake for my birthday since I got here." Sydney said rather confused

"I know, but today's special."

"Special? Why is today different from any of my other birthdays?" She questioned

"Because you have now completed your training and you are ready to fulfill the destiny we have talked about in the past." Grumm turned around and lowered his head

"Yes, I'm indeed ready to fulfill my destiny." Syd had a huge smile on her face, Syd observed Grumm and was curious about his attitude "My Lord, is there something that has you worried?"

"It's good that you ask that, Sydney." He said " I'm just worried about the many obstacles we will face before you can fulfill your destiny."

"Obstacles?" She asked

"Yes, obstacles. The first obstacle we will encounter is in the planet below." He said

"Which planet are we orbiting right now?"

"We are orbiting your home planet, Earth." Syd squealed in delight

"Earth, I can't wait I haven't gone down there in a lot of time!" Syd screamed once again

"Stop shouting!" Grumm ordered

"I'm sorry. It's just that I kind of miss my home and everything that I had back on Earth." She confessed sadly

"Look, Sydney you are not going to Earth to visit your home." He snapped and his eyes began to glow. " You are going to Earth to destroy the only thing that stops you from fulfilling your destiny!"

"I understand and I'm sorry for acting in such a childish way." She apologized

"You know what obstacle I'm talking about?" She shook her head in denial

"I'm talking about destroying the SPD headquarters in Earth, and I'm going to let you help me in doing that."

Syd was rather amused by his orders and delighted in some way, Syd herself knew she would truly enjoy causing destruction down on the planet she called home. Grumm had never let her take part in any fights against other planets, because according to him, she wasn't fully trained and her powers hadn't reached her maximum potential. Syd tried to think twice about her destiny, did she really want to destroy her home planet or leave as it was? Syd soon realized that she had no choice but to destroy Earth. She did not have a home to go to or a place to stay. She didn't even know people on Earth.

"Yes, My Lord, I will help in destroying SPD. What are your orders?" Syd asked

"Your first official orders are to recover the proton accelerator located in downtown New Tech City." She nodded in obedience

"Do you have any allies on Earth that can help us find this proton accelerator?"

"Yes, I actually have one in that location." The cruel emperor answered "His name is Piggy, he resides in a dumpster. But let me tell you that he likes to receive payment before granting his services to anyone."

"What kind of payment do I give him?" Syd questioned

"He is kind of pathetic when it comes to payment. He likes to receive rotten food for payment." He answered with a laugh

Syd slowly walked out of the room. Suddenly, before she could fully exit the door before her was closed. She returned to Grumm and faced him. Grumm snapped his fingers and a variety of weapons appeared in a flash of light before her own eyes. She open her mouth in awe at the simple sight of weapons. Grumm snapped his fingers once again and now a small device had appeared in his hand. Although, Syd couldn't tell what the device exactly looked like, but it looked like some sort of bracelet.

"Before you go, I wanted to give you a little help to accomplish our plan." Syd looked confused once again

"Help? Help for what?"

"In case SPD shows up and tries to arrest you. Which I'm certain they will." Syd now looked even more confused

"How would SPD know I'm there?"

"SPD has tons of security around the city. They will surely locate your energy signal and alarms will go off. Once the alarms go off they will send a squad of cadets, which are not fully trained or complete amateurs, or officers, which have a larger range of weapons and wil have an easier chance to arrest you. That's why you need my and of course, Broodwing's help."

"I don't mean to pry, but what is the device that you're holding?" She asked motioning to the skeleton's clutched hand

"You are prying, but this is actually for you." He retrieved her hand and put a sort of bracelet around her wrist

"What is that?" Syd asked looking at the strange bracelet that was now tied around her wrist

"It's what you call "power maximizer", this little device will help you to transform into your battle suit, which serves for protection against your enemies. It's bullet-proof and this will increase the potential of you powers." Grumm explained.

"When can I begin my mission?" She asked with a Cheshire smile on her face

"Right now, my dear." Grumm circled her once again. "Another thing, my dear, if you want to be a respectable villianess, you will need another name. You don't suppose that every villain out there uses his or her real name, right?"

"OK, but what name should I use?"

"I'll give you three options." He said stopping for the third time. "Rogue, Raven or Syren. You have the final choice."

"I really don't like Raven, it's way too... birdy for me. I do like Syren but I have to admit, it is a little too porn star-ish." She rambled, Grumm just rolled his eyes. " I'll go with the name Rogue."

"Then, Rogue, you are now ready to complete your mission."

"Yes, My Lord."

**SPD Command Center**

Two young men were pacing around the Command Center, both filled with the same expectations and dreams, to become a Power Ranger. One of the men was tall, handsome, had brownish sandy hair and soulful dark blue eyes. The other had spiky brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, and for some strange reason always wore black leather gloves. The tall one was pacing around the room like a mad man, while the other young man was much more calm.

"Sky, if you keep walking like that you're going to dig a hole in the floor." One of the young men joked

"Bridge, I can't help it, I'm nervous." Sky said still pacing

"I know, I'm nervous too." Bridge said

"I know you are, cadets. But you're ready." A deep voice came from the outside of the room, the voice came from Commander Anubis Cruger

Commander Anubis Cruger, or Commander Cruger as everybody around the base knew and respected was much like his name stated a big, blue dog, taller than most people and somewhat intimidating at sight. The Commander walked over to two cadets and both saluted their Commander.

"Cadets you have completed your basic training and excelled at it, me and Dr. Catherine Manx have been talking and we reached the decision that you are ready for bigger challenges and missions." The Commander explained. "That's why we decided to give you this..."

Doctor Katherine "Kat" Manx, was an alien that had feline features, such as the pointy ears and green emerald eyes. She came in with a clear transparent tray with something on top of it, three things to be exact. She placed the tray on the table and grabbed one of the devices.

"Cadets, by being promoted you will be receiving dangerous missions, what happens in the simulators is not the same as out there. So this will help you on your various missions." Kat briefly explained

"What is that thing that you are holding?" Bridge interrupted

"This Cadet Carson, is a morpher, now take one." Both of them obeyed and took one the devices.

"You will now be able to transform into Power Rangers with it, it also has a judgement mode. Judgement mode wil help you determine whether the suspect is guilty or innocent." Kat paused "This never makes mistakes, it measures body temperature, impulses, etc. As you both know we don't destroy criminals, we lock them away in containment cards. You can trap any guilty criminal into a containment card by pressing the left button on the upper side of you morpher." She pointed to a red button on the device.

"Sky what do you say if we go celebrate." Bridge raised his hand in high five , as usual, Sky wasn't amused by his childish ways and simply decided to ignored him. The alarms went off and Bridge lowered his hand. Kat ran to the computer system and started clicking and tapping buttons.

"Sir there's a disturbance in downtown New Tech."

"Send A- Squad." The big blue dog ordered

"A- Squad is currently fighting off a robot in the plaza." The feline informed

"What kind of disturbance is it?"

"The disturbances are human sir, they are robbing Parkington market."

"Cadet Carson, Cadet Tate head over there and bring the thieves to custody." He ordered

"Yes Sir." They left the Command Center and headed for their vehicles


	4. Beginnings: Part 1

_**Author Note: **Hey guys I am so sorry for the wait, i haven't had time to put the chapters up or write them, I was in the hospital for 2 weeks, and I had finals at school. Please forgive me and review a lot! I would also like to thank** Kat Ranger **for writing this, she's a great writer, thank her for writing this amazing chapter. Please Review a lot, the reviews feed me!_

"I can't believe that after all that, Cruger wants us to bring in some lousy thieves!", Bridge sighed.

"Being a Ranger isn't just about fighting aliens Bridge", Sky reminded sternly.

"You know Sky, I…"

"Stop!", Bridge was cut short with the shout from a nearby market stall, closely followed by two people, their hands full of goods.

"Well, I reckon we found our thieves…", Sky looked ready for some action.

"I hear that", Bridge agreed as the pair came closer.

The two thieves charged through the market, jumping over their obstacles or simply knocking them out of the way. They halted in their tracks though when they came face to face with the two members of B-Squad who quickly got into a fighting stance.

"Move!", the guy shouted; "We don't wanna hurt you!". Sky looked to his companion who evidently shared the same views.

"Hurt? Us?", Sky smirked; "I've not heard that one before!"

"SPD…"; Bridge whipped out his badge with the same grin on his face; "…I think we'll take it from here".

"You're coming with us…", Sky resumed his fighting stance to prove his point; "…Whether you like it or not"., Bridge stepped up beside Sky.

To the surprise of the cadets, both the thieves instantly dropped their things and matched their pose, willing to fight for their freedom.

"_Are you forgetting someone?_", came a smug voice from behind them. Bridge turned to face a person that looked exactly like the girl they were trying to arrest, he looked quickly between the two of them before aiming a kick at the figure.

He was relieved when his foot passed straight through it's stomach and turned to Sky with an air of triumph; "It's just a hologram - not real…Oomph!", Bridge never finished his sentence as he was harshly kicked to the floor by the seemingly harmless clone; "Okay, that seemed real!"

Sky quickly bent down to help his friend up, meaning that the thieves wasted no time in making their getaway, still grinning; "Oh no you don't!". As soon as Bridge was back on his feet, the two ran off in hot pursuit of their targets.

The two assailants were evidently enjoying themselves as they high-fived each other and went their separate ways, clearly confident. The B-Squad instantly split too, Bridge taking the girl and Sky on the guy.

Sky eagerly threw himself after his mark, expecting an easy ride as he aimed a powerful kick towards the guy's legs. However, he sensed it coming and quickly jumped out of the way; spinning around to get a quick counter in, which forced Sky to defend himself. The guy grinned at his opponent before flipping over a nearby stall and roughly kicking it back towards the cadet.

Sky saw the danger too late and had the wind knocked out of him as he hit the floor. This guy clearly knew what he was doing, but Sky always rebelled in a challenge and he wasn't going to back down easily. He stood up sharply, dodging a sweeping kick from the thief and sending a barrage of punches his way in retaliation.

Meanwhile, Bridge had managed to catch up with the girl on the street above and grabbed hold of her jacket as soon as he was close enough. The girl turned rapidly and grabbed the arm that Bridge had used to attempt to stop her and pushed it harshly away before leaping upwards and kicking him to the floor.

The cadet raised his eyebrows at her skill, but went on the attack again as he tried to sweep her legs out from under her. The attack was easily dodged, as was the next one as she quickly put up a wrist to stop Bridge's blow. They took hold of each other, neither willing to let go, so he took the initiative and yanked on her arm, attempting to send her to the ground. However, she simply spun herself in mid-air to land easily back on her feet and repeat the attack on the cadet. Bridge was caught unaware and was only just able to copy her defensive move in time before she attacked again.

Sky was flung roughly into a pile of stacked boxes, as yet again; he fell victim to the thief's ability. He grimaced before jumping up once more and sliding his feet towards him; the attack was easily blocked and his rival leapt over Sky's head and kicked him backwards as he stood again.

Sky rapidly reversed and grabbed hold of the guy's shoulder, shoving him into the wall beside them. But that didn't stop him attacking as the cadet was forced to dodge yet another punch and a well-aimed kick to the knee, which unfortunately connected and sent Sky down on to one leg.

Bridge was forced to stagger backwards as his opponent took hold of his arm, before spinning so that she was facing away from him and kicking him squarely in the back. He noted her much more aggressive fighting style attempted to repay her by getting in a double stomach kick, but she parried it twice over and stood before him, beckoning him to attack again.

The psychic cadet tried a series of spin kicks on his target, but each was blocked by her fast hands. He did manage to surprise her though by delivering a sneaky punch straight after which connected with her stomach. The thief staggered back slightly and eyed up Bridge.

"You know…we could just work something out…", Bridge said hopefully, not wanting to get his ass kicked again. The girl smirked and resumed her fighting stance. "Fine, we'll do it your way…", he launched the offensive again, trying to get a hit in, but it was the same story and he was kicked backwards. The cadet stumbled before being caught by someone behind; "Oh, thanks…", he turned around to come face to face with…"Woah!", another clone like the one earlier was stood there and it roughly shoved him to the ground.

The 'real' thief was stood next to her double with a smirk on her face and Bridge was getting frustrated. He threw himself towards the two and unleashed as many punches, jabs and kicks as he could muster; a few landed but not enough to phase her. Bridge was now unsure which was the 'real' criminal, but it didn't matter as both of them spin-kicked him to the ground.

Sky looked on with an air of triumph as he realised that he had his target cornered – he was backed up against a wall with nowhere to go, and it showed on his face. The officer clenched his fists; "What did I tell you?". However, to Sky's surprise, the smirk was back on his face as he said it and the look in his eyes was almost beckoning the cadet to arrest him.

Sky didn't waste any time and leapt powerfully towards his target. The thief grinned again, even giving a little wave as he walked calmly backwards…straight through the wall. Sky's eyes widened and he slammed into the stone with a sickening crunch, falling to the ground as a result.

As Bridge looked to get up again, he realised that the clone had now disappeared and the real thief was behind him. He spun around as she grabbed his jacket and swatted away her hand trying to get a hold on her…but she found it first. Bridge found himself being flung over the edge of the wall, and with nothing to stop him but the street 20 metres below, the only way was down…

The thief rematerialised again out of the wall as if it was a normal thing to do and stood victoriously, brushing his hands down the sides of his pants. He looked up expectantly and wasn't surprised when Bridge came hurtling down out of nowhere and crashed to the ground with an unpleasant thud. The girl followed immediately after, landing calmly beside her comrade.

"Thanks for the entertainment!", she bowed mockingly. Her friend laughed at her actions and they walked away victoriously, leaving the B-Squad to their defeat.

&

"You were defeated", Cruger stated simply; "You under-estimated your opponents…", he waited for the response from B-Squad.

"We're not ready to be Rangers Sir", Bridge admitted.

Sky coughed meaningfully; "I am Sir", he contradicted.

"So you didn't play a part in letting those two get away then?", Bridge said sarcastically, earning him a glare from Sky.

"Listen to yourselves…", Cruger gestured towards them; "…I see no team here", he stated his point more clearly; "You are not worthy to be Power Rangers unless this problem is overcome…"

Bridge spoke up; "I get it…so all we have to do is stop bullying, criticizing and judging each other…and failing to bring in suspects", he added; "So that means we're on schedule to be Rangers…ooh", he feigned being deep in thought; "…never".

Cruger let the comment pass and turned to the current issue; "You will meet those two again".

"Sir", Sky stepped forward; "Those criminals…they were different…they had powers…like us".

"I know…", Cruger sighed; "Cadet Tate…follow me", he motioned for Sky to join him, leaving Bridge stood in the Command Centre.

**&**

The criminals who had walked away from a fight with SPD victorious were now packing away their empty boxes. The girl was watching her friend and had something on her mind; "Jack?" He turned to face her and sat down on an upside down crate.

"We've been on the streets a long time together…you're my best friend; you're like my brother…", he smiled at the sentiment, reflecting the feeling back at her through his eyes. "And brother, after five years of doing this…I say we change careers…I'm tired of playing Robin Hood…", she was interrupted when an apparently homeless alien slowly walked up to them, looking for clothes.

Jack looked regretfully at her; "I'm sorry, we don't have anything else to give away…", the creature looked down sadly and began walking away. Jack stood up; "Hang on…", he removed his own jacket and handed it to her; …here". As the creature left, he caught his friend's disapproving eye; "What? She needed it…maybe her husband did…", he tried to reason, but her eyes never left him; "Okay! Okay! You're right…we gotta do something else…after one last job".

"Jack! Do you really think that some more food and some more clothes are gonna make a difference? If we wanna make a _real_ difference, then we're gonna have to be a part of something _bigger_".

"Well, when you find something bigger…let me know…"

**&**

"Why Red Ranger cadet?", Cruger asked curiously.

"Lots of reasons Sir…I'm top of B-Squad on test-scores, weaponry and fighting…as you know Sir, my father was Red Ranger and ever since I was a kid, I've dreamed of the day I become like my father".

"One more thing cadet…", Sky turned; "If I was to appoint Bridge as Red Ranger, would you follow him into battle?"

"I like Bridge, but in all honesty Sir, he's not a leader".

Cruger thought about his answer; "Thank you for your honesty Cadet, dismissed".

Sky nodded and saluted before walking away.

**&**

Far away from SPD, The Emperor Grumm of the Troobian Empire spoke to his servant.

"I need a proton accelerator to pass through the wormhole…I have a contact on Earth who can get me one…", he stared in the face of the girl before him; "Get me what I ask, and let no-one stop you!"

"Yes Master", she bowed and left the ship.

**&**

Back on earth, the two thieves loaded more clothes into a large van. Jack heaved his rail into the back and then moved to let his friend through with her contribution; "Good work Z". He then sighed as he saw five other 'Z's' following right behind; "Good work Z… Good work Z… Good work Z… Good work Z…", he got to the last one who shut the van door behind her and was presumed to be the 'real' Z.

"You know Z…", he said as they walked around the front; "If we put all of your clones together, we could get unlimited amounts of food, clothes, and…"

"Don't go there Jack, this is the last job for me and my other selves, so…"

"Help me!", a creature ran up to them, obviously frightened and shoved a large object into Jack's hands; "Take this! And don't let them have it…the planet depends on it!", the alien ran away as fast as he could, spooked by some unknown danger.

Z laughed; "Why do the nuts of the world always seem to find you?" They climbed into the van, not noticing the shadow that leapt past them…

**&**

"Yes!", Bridge threw his hands in the air triumphantly as he emerged victorious from his rock, paper, scissors battle with Boom as Sky paced the room. "35 times in a row!"

"Okay, I am officially bored to tears!", Bridge groaned frustratedly; "We get called to report an _hour_ ago…report to whom?"

Sky looked up, unimpressed; "If you have a problem with it Bridge…make me stop", he continued walking.

"That's it…", Bridge launched himself towards Sky, just as the Commander entered the room.

"I trust you are using this time to bond as a team?", Cruger's glare met theirs as they scrabbled to stand to attention.

"Yes Sir!", they answered in unison.

"Good…come this way", Cruger gestured for the Rangers to follow him down the corridor.

Dr. Manx got up from her computer station as she heard the Rangers enter and went to stand by Doggie's side.

"Without going into details, Earth's ultimate survival dictates that I elevate your team to active status, any questions?"

Bridge raised his hand slightly and stepped forward; "Uh, yeah, just one…uhm did you say 'ultimate survival' as in Earth may be destroyed?"

"I did", Cruger affirmed. The look on Bridge's face fell.

"Cadets…", Kat resumed Cruger's position; "You have spent the last two years in simulated training…but this time…the game is real…", on cue, her eager assistant Boom stepped up to her with four identical devices.

Kat took one of the devices and Boom handed out the others to the Cadets; "SPD Morphers", she explained; "They are, without a doubt, your best friend…they are also judgement scanners", she added as the Rangers surveyed them; "They will assess the guilt or innocence of those you take into custody…", she looked up from the morpher in her hand; "Boom?", the assistant looked up hopefully.

Kat held out the morpher towards him with a smile on her face; "Guilty or innocent of eating the last slice of chocolate cake today?"

"Me?!", Kat pressed one of the buttons on top of the morpher, activating the scanner as she stared at Boom. "I…I ah…uh…no…no I didn't".

"The scanner reads body temperature, pulse and electrical impulses and renders a verdict…", Kat explained as the Rangers watched on in interest as the scanner flicked between a cross and a circle.

"Guilty!", the scanner had landed on the red cross as Boom spluttered his excuses. "And it does _not_ make mistakes…"

"Okay! I'm guilty…", Boom surrendered; "But it was just a piece of cake!".

Kat flipped the morpher over and pressed another button, which omitted a bright light towards Boom, before he disappeared completely, only leaving a small card on the floor.

The Rangers' mouths were open as Kat calmly picked the card off the floor and then presented it to the Rangers; "This makes transportation of the detainee a non-issue". She ignored the protests coming from Boom.

Doggie spoke; "You are now trained _and_ equipped, you are the new B-Squad Power Rangers, congratulations".

"Yes!" Bridge seemed highly excited and jumped around on the spot.

"Celebrations can come later…I need your immediate assistance on an urgent matter"

"Yes Sir!"

The Rangers jumped into their vehicles down in the Transport Bay; Bridge in the jeep and Sky on the motorbike.

Cruger's voice came over the intercom; "The co-ordinates of the street-thieves are locked into your vehicles…"

**&**

Jack and Z happily handed out all the clothes that they had acquired earlier; "Well, this is all that's left", Jack held up the object given to him by the alien. "If you can't eat it or wear it, then it has no value", he launched it straight into the nearest trashcan, while Z shook her head at him.

She walked around to the front of the van in time to face the most unwelcome sight of the day as a jeep and motorcycle rolled up. "Didn't I tell you that we should've quit while we ahead Jack!"

"Nice to see you", Sky commented mockingly.

"Don't worry…", he replied confidently; "We'll take care of this, then we'll be on our way…", he ran straight at Sky only to bounce roughly to the ground.

"Jack!", Z ran to pick her friend up as she glared at the Rangers.

"Guess what?", Sky smirked down at them; "You're not the only one's who can play tricks".

"Fine", Jack got up; "What do you say we finish this here and now or these clowns will be bugging us forever".

"Sounds like a plan", Z adopted a fighting stance beside her 'brother' and the two charged at the Cadets, Jack opting for Sky, leaving Z with Bridge.

Bridge ran after Z, who suddenly turned and attempted to kick him in the head; "Woah!", Bridge quickly ducked and noticed that she was waiting for him to make the first move; "Listen, I think that we should go about this in the most respectful way possible; each valuing each other's humanity and dignity and…". The thief had had enough and cut Bridge off by forcing him to dodge another blow; "…or not". At this point, Bridge decided to run, whilst thinking up a plan and Z rapidly gave chase.

Jack and Sky were already furiously battling it out and they each parried the other's attacks with a move of their own. Jack scrambled up the side of the truck and then leapt down to land on top of a car. Sky growled and ran towards him, earning him a rough kick in the stomach to keep him away.

Meanwhile, Bridge had conceded that he was getting nowhere and had stopped to fight Z. However, she didn't seem phased by him and quickly went into a rapid series of spin kicks in an attempt to floor him. Bridge quickly blocked the attacks and went at her with every combination he could think of, but she flipped out of the way of most of them to shakily land in an attacking stance.

Jack and Sky exchanged blow for blow as their arms flew at each other more times than you could count, but Jack came out worst as he staggered backwards into a wooden crate, soon to be joined by Z.

"We're not doing as well as we thought Bro!", her mind searched for alternatives; "Any suggestions?"

Jack took one look at her; "Run?", she glanced back and silently agreed, both of them pelting off down he street, hotly pursued by SPD.

The thieves reached a dead end and Sky took out his morpher as they realised they were cornered. "You are both accused of stealing and distributing stolen goods…"

"Can you prove it?", Jack challenged.

"Actually…we can", Bridge answered as the scanner flipped open and began its decision; "Guilty!"

"Any chance of going two out of three?", Z asked, knowing the answer as the Cadets stood there defiantly; "Didn't think so".

Sky prepared to press the magic button, but was stopped by a shout; "Wait! What are you gonna do with us?", Z asked, fearing the worst.

Bridge stepped in before Sky could answer; "It's actually quite fascinating…we're gonna blast you with antimatter fusion and reduce you to about _this_ tall and about _this_ thin", he demonstrated with his fingers; "And then you're inserted into a containment card where you're shipped off for filing until…", he noticed the stern expression on Sky's face; "…Until your time is served", he promptly stopped rambling.

Jack turned to his comrade; "You had to ask Z".

"Enough of this…", Sky stretched out the morpher and his finger was almost touching the button when a figure just dropped straight out of the sky into the middle of the group, leaving all four of them staring in amazement. The figure's face was covered by a black cloak, the only thing visible was her body and her hands.

Before they could argue, they noticed a small sphere in her hand, which was promptly thrown into the air, exploding to release no less than 30 robotic monsters.

An eerie voice came from the girl; "Hello Rangers…"


	5. Beginnings: Part 2

_**Author's note: **__Im so sorry about the hiatus, but I have been so damn busy. I hope you guys are still interested, Im back to writing and Im sorry. I have been a little too emotional, my uncle died a few months age and I loved him very much. Im sorry, but here you go and if you are nice and feed me with reviews, I will even give you two chapters today. Thank you for reading and thank you, Kat Ranger for writing my other chapter._

**Chapter 5: Beginnings Part 2**

An eerie voice came from the girl as she stepped forward. The tine, silver sphere in her hands was gone. For a moment, Bridge and Sky thought she was no longer a threat without the weapon. She took a slow, graceful towards them. She stood calmly as she watched her enemies fight the Krybots.

She had to admit that the cadets in front of her were quite skilled in every aspect, but she would not let that come in her way of finding the proton accelator, she could not let her defenses down, after all, Grumm had mentioned that SPD was a worthy enemy, especially the SPD of Earth. He had mentioned that the SPD Academy of Earth was the strongest compared to any other planets he had conquered and destroyed.

Sky was fighting off about 15 Krybots at the same time. He kicked and punched the metallic creatures. Rogue shot a blast his way to distract them and make her way to Piggy. Sky made a small circle with his arm and created a force field to defend himself. the energy blast bounced off the force field and hit Rogue, she fell backwards, her cloak was now destroyed and her identity revealed and compromised. Sky was dobne fighting Krybots and ready to take on her. Rogue stood before the force field creator.

"How did you that?" She asked as she removed her cloak, her voice irritated and loud. "Looks like Grumm forgot to tell me that little detail." She muttered under her breath. Sky looked at her for a second, how can someone that looked... so... human be working for Grumm? He inspected the girl, she was short in height compared to him, her eyes were a brilliant, light blue. Her hair was long, blonde and ironed. This girl... or creature before him reminded him of Sydney, his dear friend. But she couldn't be her, could she?

She stood with her hands in her hips. "What are you looking at? Im not here to enter a beauty contest, Im on a schedule here so you either let me through or fight me. If I were you, I would take the first one." She was clearly angry and desperate. "You have not answered my question yet."

"Well, lets say I have some abilities. So are you human or an alien?" Sky questioned as they stood there while Bridge fought off his group of Krybots.

"Im human, duh. Do I have green skin and big eyes, or a body made out of Jelly? I thought you had to be smart to get into SPD, clearly they made a mistake with you." She hissed as she looked at him, his voice was deep and manly, something that many girls her age looked for in a man, but she was not here to find romance, she was here to destroy Earth. He was tall, brooding and hse had to admit, he was handsome.

"Well, maybe you are wearing a disguise right now." She rolled her eyes at his comment and activated her battle suit. She was now wearing a leather body suit, her face uncovered. She smiled and began fighting Sky, her moves were strong, feminine and graceful.

"Dont worry, I have something like that too." Sky said and took out his morpher. "SPD Emergency!" He shouted and in a few seconds he was wearing a blue Ranger suit. He looked at himself and he was stunned. He was not Red, he was Blue. He was angry, he wanted to be Red, like his father. "Blue? I was supposed to be Red, not blue." Rogue stopped forward and mock pouted.

"I didn't realize that whining was one of your super abilities, Blue Ranger." She said as she began to fight him again. Bridge came over when he was Krybot-free, he approached Sky. "You are the Blue Ranger, man! Yeah!" He shouted to Sky as he was fighting. "Im in the middle of something here Bridge, if you would not mind, I would like your help right now."

Bridge nodded and looked at him. "Yeah, sorry Sky. SPD Emergency!" He shouted. After a few seconds, he was covered in his new Ranger suit. "Im Green, yes! I would even be glad to be the Pink Ranger, but Im glad Im the green one. After all, pink is a girl's color. Green suits me better than..." Bridge rambled.

Sky rolled his eyes and was distracted for a moment, Rogue blasted him and he grunted, clutching his chest. "Bridge!" Bridge nodded and looked at Sky. When Sky turned around, Rogue was gone. "Where is she?" Bridge came over and put his hand on Sky's shoulder. "Where is who, Sky?" Sky lowered his visor and exposed his eyes. "The girl who was fighting me." Before Bridge could answer, more Krybots appeared out of thin air. "Where do this robots come from?"

A few hours later, Jack and Z were in a cell at the SPD Academy. Z looked around her cell. She was with Jack, there were no beds or anything to sleep on. "Well this is comfy." Z broke the silence, rather sarcatically for Jack's taste. Z was pacing the room nervously while Jack layed down on the bench in the cell. Z paused as the door in the cell opened, Commander Anubis Cruger came in. He looked at the thieves before him but not with hate, it was compassion, he stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"I saw you fighting out there, you are quite skilled and rather corageous to go out and fight monsters like that without any sort of body armor." Jack sitted up, he was now interested. Z sat back down and removed her hat. She looked at the big blue dog, wondering what he was planning. "I came to give you both a choice."

"A choice? What do you propose. Sir? Or should I call you, Mr. Dog, Im still not sure." Jack blurted out, Z hit his chest, Jack lookes at her. "Violent much?" Z smiled and looked back at the Commander.

"You either join us or spend your sentence in containment cards." Doggie stated. Z stood up, looking directly at him and back at Jack. "Do we have time to think about it, Sir?" Z asked poilitely, after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Doggie looked at them. "Time's out."

"Im in, I know I can't decide for you, Jack. But Im tired of living in the street, I dont know about you, but this is my chance of taking part of something bigger." She said, Doggie smiled and took her outside of the cell. "Think about it, Jack."


	6. Beginnings: Part 3

**Beginnings Part 3**

Rogue walked through the dark, grey streets of downtown Newtech City. Her body was begging for a rest, but she had to go on or Grumm would be giving her a permanent rest. She struggled to keep her balance, her steps were slow and weak. She clutched her chest, she put her hand over the spot where the energy beam had hit her. She leaned against a wall, breathing hard, trying to recover from the battle with the SPD Rangers. The leather body suit suddenly disappeared. She felt a little energy coming bak, enough to get something from a dumpster and find this Piggy that Grumm had told her about.

She stumbled to the nearest dumpster. She looked inside the dumpster for anything that seemed or smelled like it had been there for some time. She looked at her hands.

"Im not getting dirty or smelly, I just got a manicure and I don't plan on ruining it." She scoffed and covered her hands with a pair of leather gloves and started searching for Piggy's payment. 5 mintes went by until she finally found a bag which contained an old sandwich with mold and a few rotten eggs. "Bingo!" She exclaimed triumphantly and smiled as she walked through the ally to find this disgusting creature.

A few hours went by and she was still looking for Piggy. She was tired and dirty, she needed to get above the ship, pronto. Then she suddenly heard it, it was like music to her ears, she felt like the angels were singing Hallelujah to her. She hid behind a grey brick wall. An alien who's hwight was almost double hers was standing next to a dumpster, he was angry and screaming, he was threatening a creature who's head was visible. She waited for the creature to leave and then made her move. She walked to the dumpster and knocked loudly until Piggy opened up.

"Are you the disgusting creature they call Piggy?" Piggy looked at the girl before him, he wondered what a girl like her was doing in that part of town or what her businesswith him was.

"It depends on who's asking." He answered, rather cocky for her taste. She took hold of Piggy's collar and smiled. She took a piece of metal out of her pocket and wrapped her hand around it. Piggy watched in amazement as her hand transformed into pure silver.

"Grumm's asking, now you either help me or I beat you for information." She smiled evilly and formed a fist, she placed it very closely to Piggy's face.

"Ok, what do you need?" His voice trembled, his whole body shaking with fear, she put him down and glared at him.

"Well, Grumm said you had something that he needs." She took her attention of Piggy for a second, looking around the area for any possible threats that may interfere with her plans. "He is looking for something called a... proton accelarator." She took a picture out of her pocket and showed it to him. Piggy nodded and disappeared for a few seconds. He stood up straight with the proton accelarator in his hands. Rogue smiled and handed him the paper bag. He opened the paper bag and took in the putrid aroma. She plugged her nose and tried hard not to puke. Piggy closed it again and she sighed, regaining her breath.

"A rotten sandwich and rotten eggs, such a delicious meal. Here you go." He handed her the proton accelarator. Rogue obeserved the object in her hands. She looked back at him.

"It was nice making business with you, Piggy. I will be seeing you."

SPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDPSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPD

Jack sat in the cell whistling to himself. Thinking about the options he had. He had already done a mental list of the

pros and cons of joining the SPD Academy. He had also gone over the cons of spending the time of his sentence in a containment card, he could find no pros to that option. His thoughts were interrupted when Z and Commander Cruger stepped inside. Z was wearing something completely different. She stepped inside with a tray in her hands. She placed the tray besides Jack and looked at him. Jack didn't know if Z was angry with him or happy to be part of what she called 'something bigger'.

"Nice costume Z, it would look incredible for Halloween." Jack commented and started munching on the chips.

"For your information, its not a costume, its a uniform and I happen to like it." She glared at him and walked out of the cell. Commander Cruger observed him.

"So, final choice, Mr. Landors?" Commander Cruger stepped forward. Jack stood up and looked at the Commander in the eyes.

"I will join you. Z is right, we cant keep on playing Robin Hood in the streets. There are other ways to help people and this is one of them. I think this is what she meant by being part of something bigger." Jack came out with his decision and the Commander opened the cell. He stepped aside so Jack could go outside.

"Alright Mr. Landors, follow me." Jack nodded and followed the dog-like creature. The Commander showed him around SPD, the different training rooms. Jack was amazed by all the technology that the facility had. Simulation rooms, a control center, weapons and the Ranger suits. He had never seen that much technology in his life. At the end of the tour, the Commander brought Jack to the Command Center. Three cadets turned around and saluted him.

"At ease, B-Squad." Z glanced at Jack and smiled. The cadets relaxed and stood straight, their arms behind their back. "Cadets this is your new team member, Jack Landors." Jack gave a small, nervous wave, Bridge smiled and shaked hands with him.

"Im Bridge, the Green Ranger." Jack noticed Bridge was wearing leather gloves to cover his hands. "I wear them because of my powers." Jack nodded and looked at Sky. Bridge nudged Sky with his elbow. Sky stood still and said nothing.

"Is there a problem, Cadet Tate?" Sky turned to the Commander and observed Jack. Sky inspected him slowly, Jack and Z felt self conscious as his gaze penetrated them.

"Miss Manx gave me the wrong morpher, Im supposed to be Red, like my father, not Blue, Commander." Sky announced as he held out his morpher, the Commander shook his head and looked directly at Sky.

"There is no mistake, Sky, the Red morpher belongs to Jack. May I speak with you alone?" Sky nodded and headed outside, the Commander closed the doors. "May I aks what the problem is?"

"I was supposed to have the Red morpher like my father, and then you take it away from me and give it to him, he was a thief, Sir." Sky declared angrily. Anubis put a hand on his shoulder.

"The Red morpher was never yours, you knew that the minute you signed up for the Academy. You need to work for the leader position and you have not demostrated that you can be a good leader, Sky. I mean, you are top of your class, but I dont see you as a leader." Sky nodded in agreement.

"Yes Sir, but the morpher is still hers if she appears or we find her, right Sir?" The Commander sighed and nodded. "Yes Cadet, the Pink morpher belongs to Miss Drew." He walked into the Command Center again and saw the A-Squad Rangers going to the Zord bay.

Sky stood next to Bridge and let out a dreamy sigh. He looked at Bridge. The Green Ranger took his glove off and read the auras of A-Squad. "Now that is what I want to be." He pointed to the A-Squad Rangers.

"There is something different about them, theya re ginving off a mix of negative energies and colors." Bridge muttered under his breath. He pulled the glove back over his hand and relaxed. He smiled at Z and Jack. "Welcome to the team, this is Sky Tate, the Blue Ranger. Seems like you are our new leader, Jack." Jack nodded and smiled. Sky walked off, he was fuming. He closed the door of his room and started practicing hand-on hand combat on a punching bag.

SPDSPDPSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDPSDPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPD

Rogu walked inside the ship, she carried the metallic object in her hands. She smiled to herself as she strided to her master's throne. She saw a couple of Krybots working on the ship's motors as he walked by the engine room. She looked everywhere for Grumm, she finally found him. He sat on his throne. She walked to stand in front of Grumm. The skeleton was talking with Broodwing. They were discussing some plans. She bowed down obediently. A knee on the floor, her head bent down. Grumm stood up and walked to her.

He motioned for her to stand. Rogue stood up and looked at him. She handed him the object to him. Grumm shouted with joy, his once dull eyeballs lighted up to a bright neon red. Rogue took a step back and watched him with curiosity, she had never seen Grumm like that.

"Good job, Rogue. Now we are ready to proceed to phase number two." Grumm praised her. She smiled and nodded. She could not help but feel aproud of herself, but she had to remember not to be too cocky or it would affect her.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take a shower. Searching through a dumpster and carrying a bag full of rotten food can make you smell bad." She held a hand up and observed her nails. "Besides, I need a new manicure, I heard pink is the new black." She walked out of the throne room.

She headed to her room to take a nice, well deserved bath. She removed her clothes and got inside the tub, she looked at her reflection in the water. She smiled to herself and reflected for a few moments. A lot of questions went through her head at that moment, she decided to leave them for later. Too many things for her brain to handle, she relaxed and stayed on the tub for about thirty minutes, when she was too sleepy and tired. She got out and dried herself. The petite girl put her pijamas on and tucked herslef into bed like she had done a million times.


	7. Abuse of Power

**Chapter 7 Abuse of Power**

She layed in her bed, eyes closed. Her blonde hair sprawled out against her pillow. Her chest went up and down as she let out soft breaths. She clutched a grey, stuffed elephant in her hands. She had been trying to sleep for a few hours now, she thought the bath and drinking a glass of warm milk before bed would help her. She had been tossing and turning for a few hours now. Thoughts flooded her mind like a tsunami, so many unanswered questions, too many whys and many other facts she still needed to get straight. She opened her eyes and sat up in her bed, still holding the stuffed animal in her hands. She yawned and layed back down, closing her eyes. She was finally beginning to calm down when the lights came on. An alarm woke her up, she sat up, it was probably a false alarm. She groaned and sighed, she stood up from her bed. She opened her closet door and pulled out her fluffy robe, she put it on and tied it. She put slippers on and walked to the center of the ship, still holding the stuffed animal in her arms.

She walked to the throne room again and saw Grumm with Mora and Broodwing. If her eyes were not open, she would swear she was sleep walking. Her eyes wanted to close so badly. She came into the room, Mora giggled as she saw Rogue.

"What's wrong now? I was trying to sleep, you know?" Rogue asked annoyed, her mood would not get any better today. "What it is so important that you could not wait to tell us? Huh?"

"You look nice, Sydney." Mora said sarcastically, she referred to Syd's chemical peel in her, to the rollers that held her hair up and her pijamas. Syd just smiled and gave her a glare.

"Shut up Mora, at least I dont sleep with a doll that looks exactly like the baby of a blowup doll." She scoffed and sat next to the 10 year old. Mora stuck out her tongue.

"So mature, sleeping with an elephant." Rogue opened her mouth to protest. She balled her hands into tiny fists. She took out a piece of metal and put it in her hand, convering it. Her hand transformed into the metal and she held it up to Mora's face.

"Dont make me use this on you. But your face could do with a few bruises, you are far too pale for my taste. Maybe after I hit you, I could teach how to use makeup." Rogue smiled and kept the fist in Mora's face. Grumm turned around and glared at them. Broodwing stood besides him.

"Stop it you two, we have no time for your childish arguments." Rogue rolled her eyes and made her hand transform to normal again. Mora smiled and the older girl just made a mock smile. Rogue muttered a few words under her breath and then looked at Grumm. Grumm glared at Rogue, his eyes were a bright red, red with anger.

"Looks like somebody's leather shorts are too tight." She whispered to Mora, Mora nodded and gave a small giggle. Grumm continued to glare at them. Broodwing examined both girls. Looking at them closely.

"They are both so... so cute and adorable. I could have them relocated to an abandoned meteor if you like." Broodwing verbalized his disgust to humans in that commentary. Grumm shook his head while he paced around the room.

"As tempting as that sounds, I have need of both of their services, just as I have need of yours." Broodwing emited a small groan and nodded, Grumm stood up and walked to Mora's room. Both girls followed behind him and Broodwing. Mora sat in her tea table next to Rogue. The older female crossed her arms.

"Broodwing you are not nice to me or Rogue." Mora declared to the alien, Rogue mock pouted and glanced at the 10 year old.

"Silence child! Im here on business, I'm here to make business with Grumm." He snarled at her, Mora rolled her eyes and took out her drawing notebook. Grumm glared at Broodwing.

"Emperor Grumm for you three, you are not to call me Grumm." Rogue mock saluted and muttered a 'aye, aye, Captain' under her breath. "I need your help Broodwing."

"Just like you need another horn on your head." Mora answered back, Rogue could not help but smile and laugh at her statement, she high-fived Mora. Grumm approached Mora and groaned.

"Go to your room, Mora. You too, Rogue." Mora stayed in her place as Grumm gave his orders.

"But this is my room!" She exclaimed. Rogue stood up and tugged on Mora's hand. Mora glanced back at her.

"Then go to my room!"

"But you told me never to..."

"GO! Both of you!" Grumm glared at both of his human minions. Rogue and Mora exited the little girl's room in a hurry. Rogue took Mora to her room and layed down with her in her bed.

SPDSPDSPDPSPDPSPDPSPDPSPDPSDSPDSPDPSPDPSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDPDSPDSPD

Jack was sitting down in a chair, reading a comic book and sipping a piña colada. He adjusted his sunglasses and looked over to the training field. His eyes scanned the field as he looked for his team, He clapped his hands as his team approached him. Z glared at him and shook her hand, some mud fell to the ground.

"What's the problem Z?" He paused for a minute to laugh. "A little mud has never hurt anyone."

"Actually, that's not true." Bridge corrected as he stood besides Z. "My uncle Bernie got a serious infection by sticking mud clumps up his nose." Z turned to look at Bridge.

"He stuck up mud up his... uh, nevermind." Z was not even going to try doing the math for that one, it was far too disgusting for her. The three cadets stared at Jack, Jack was amused by the angry looks in their faces. He closed his comic book and stood up.

"I know you are angry. Why don't you go and take a bath? I will see all of you in the simulation room in five minutes, off you go." Z wanted to put her hands around his neck desperately, Bridge would probably wanted to annoy him with his unique speeches and Sky wanted to kill the guy, slowly and painfully. Bridge and Z ran towards the showers, Sky walked slowly.

"He's got no business being Red Ranger..." Sky mumbled loud enough for Jack to hear. Jack approached him.

"I heard that." He looked at Sky directly and glared at him. "You think you could do a better job?"

Sky chuckled a bit. "Yeah. But Cruger picked you. You may be wearing red, but you are not a leader." He replied dryly, he cleaned his hand on Jack's shirt, staining it with mud. "Now, oh mighty leader, I have to go and shower." He ran to the showers.

A few hours later, the B-Squad cadets were sitting around a round computer, checking ofr any disturbances when Jack came in through one of the automatic doors. The three Rangers rolled their eyes. A female cadet approached Jackl and handed him his uniform jacket. He held up his shirt and inspected it.

"Uh, Cadet? Next time, could you wash it in cold water, please? It keeps the reds nice and bright." He told the cadet, the girl nodded and exited the command center. Jack approached the Rangers and smiled. Cruger approached him.

"Could you please hand in your morpher, Cadet Landors?" The Commander held out his hand, Jack hesistated but he finally gave it up, placing it on Cruger's palm. He looked at Cruger. "Don't look at me, your team came up with the decision." Jack walked to them.

"I like you as a friend and all... but as a leader..." Bridge paused for a few seconds, trying to come up with something that would not sound as harsh. "Hey, did I ever tell you that I really like your dreads?" He changed the theme of the subject quickly, trying to lighten up the mood in the room. Kat approached the computers and showed them a holograph of Grumm.

"Rangers meet Emperor Grumm- The leader of the Troobian Empire." The Commander sais as he pointed to the picture. Sky looked the holographic image, he remembered him. He was the one that took Sydney. He would ahve to talk to the Commander about that later on. The image changed on the screen, a picture of Rogue was shown to them.

"Rangers this is Rogue. We know nothing about her, apart from the fact that she is working for Grumm and that she is extremely powerful and skilled in battle." The alarms went off in the Command Center. Jack covered his ears.

"Rangers, its time for your Delta Runners. We have a big threat and I mean it literally." Dr. Manx opened up the passage to the Zord bay. "Dont worry Sky, I will control the Pink Delta Runner from here, I installed a wireless controller." Sky nodded, everyone was a bit confused by the last statement, but there was no time for explanations. The Rangers morphed and entered their respective cockpits of their individual Runners. They headed out to battle the giant alien attacking Newtech.

Rogue watched the battle from a high rooftop. She was alone, and she was glad she did not have any company, she needed to think about a lot of things. She was snapped out of her thoughts when the battle started the Rangers also had their army of giant technology. She had no idea about that until she saw the giant vehicles. She took out her communicator.

"You did not care to tell me that the Rangers had giant robot vehicles, Grumm?" She hissed onto the communicator, she heard Grumm grumble at her.

"That's because I had no idea they did. Now get back to your job." She stood there and observed the fight. She felt useless and did not know what to do but watch.

"And what exactly is my job? Watch our robot destroy the Rangers, I'm on a schedule here, Grumm. You give me something to do or I'm going back to my room to take a nap." She was irritated and angry, it had been a long, unpleasant day. She waited for Grumm to answer, his reply was another groan. She could just picture the bony dictator in her head, the image gave her a grin and a shiver at the same time. Oh, how she loved annoying him.

"I give the orders here, remember, now you just watch the battle and report what you see." She opened her mouth to protest, she hesistated for a moment and then closed her mouth again. She rolled her eyes.

"Aye aye, Captain. I will report everything from number of buildings destroyed to the number of pets that were killed." She replied sarcastically, before Grumm could reply, she closed her communicator and cut the communication lines. She groaned and watched the battle. From the looks of it, Broodwing's alien was winning. The Rangers were getting their butts kicked. Badly.

SPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDPSDPSDPSDPSDPSPDSPDSDPSPDSPDSDPSPD

Jack was in the Command Center, he and Boom were watching the battle. Kat controlled the Pink Delta Runner swiflty, but it was not enough, the Rangers needed help. Jack did not want to sit there and watch his team, or former team like this. He stood up and walked to the Commander.

"Commander, the team needs my help." He came out with it. It was good to finally get it off his chest. He stared at the Commander, Boom watched in surprise. "I would like my morpher back. They need my help." The Commander looked at him.

"Why should I give the morpher back, you proved to be a terrible leader. What good would it do if you went out there?" Jack hated to admit it, but the Commander was right. He tried to come up with something to say. Jack nodded in defeat.

"I just need to go back there, I made some mistakes, I know that. But please, let me go out there and help them, you won't regret this, Commander." The Commander turned to Kat, the feline doctor gave him a small nod and then he turned to Jack, he gave him his SPD morpher. Jack morphed and went to his Delta Runner. Cruger sighed and continued watching the battle.

SPDSPDSPDSPDPSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDPSDPSDPSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPD

The tiny petite kept watching, in a few minutes the Rangers would be done for and they would destroy Newtech, she clapped her hands and kept observing. Something caught her attention a red vehicle joined the Rangers. Her eyes widened, she wanted to scream, but it was not the smartest thing to do when you are trying to go unnoticed. Then she saw as the Rangers's vehicles transformed into one. She knew they would not be able to beat that thing. In a few minutes, the robot they had was destroyed.

She covered her eyes because of the explosion that happened. She opened her communicatorto call Grumm again, she had no more business on Earth. Her breath came in short gasps, she was truly astonished by what she had just witnessed. She managed to relax a bit before talking to Grumm.

"Tell me you just that, the Rangers made our robot look like a giant poodle out there. Can I return now? I don't see what else I can do here. Unless you want the Rangers to take me in and imprison me. We both know how much you would miss my company and everyone knows how much you need me." Her voice was calm, yet agitated, she waited as she tapped her foot several times.

"You can return now." He ordered, she smiled and disappeared in flash.

She went to her room and took a long bath to calmher nerved, she still did not know what had her so agitated. She went to sleep, it was one of the nights when she got bits and pieces of memories, mostly bits. She saw herself as a little girl playing with a boy in a dewy grassy field, they were laughing and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves. Then it suddenly became black, she could remember pain and crying. She could only remember his name, his face, his scent.

"Sky!" She exclaimed quietly. She woke up as she remembered the brand. She was covered in sweat, her hair sticking to her face, her pijamas were sat up in bed, her knees to her chest, she buried her face in her hands and cried for a few minutes. She never cried, but it felt good sometimes, she had read somewhere that crying helped get things of your chest. Oh, if only the editors knew everything she had to get off her chest...

She wiped the tears away and stood up, she turned her back to the mirror and lifted her shirt, she traced the brand with her fingers. "Evil, am I truly evil, or is it just Grumm's brainwash?" She asked out loud to herself, she fixed her shirt and decided to sleep. Exhaustion finally claimed her body.

SPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPD

Jack and the rest of the Rangers were celebrating their victory in the guest room. They were drinking soda and telling jokes. Everyone that is, except for Sky. Sky was drinking a soda and reading the SPD rule book.

"I admit you had a big ego out there, Jack, but you cam through to help us, I'm glad you did. We would not be here if you ahd not helped, thank you." Z hugged his friend, Bridge came over and threw an apple to Z. Z grinned and mouthed a thank you to the Green Ranger.

"Besides, the MegaZord wouldn't have had a head if it weren't for Jack." Z chuckled and laughed, Jack high-fived Bridge. "I could not imagine fighting with a head less MegaZord."


	8. Walls Crumble

**Chapter 8: Walls crumble**

The B-Squad Rangers awoke at 7 a.m. to train. They all changed to their track suits and met outside at the grassy and muddy training course. They all dreaded the course, but they had to run the course at least two times a week. They strapped a data pad to their shoulders to measure their time and compare it to the other times that they had been through the course.

After 45 minutes, the Rangers met again at the starting point. Sky was already there. He looked at the others as they arrived. He took the pad off his arm and set it down on a small table. He wrote down his time on a list. Z glared at him.

"Looks like Mr. Stick-in-the-butt beat us again." Z said as she walked to the table to write down her own time.

"Jealous much?" Sky teased. Jack and Bridge wrote down their own times and then walked to Sky. Z gave a small, sarcastic laugh.

"You wish, Sky. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go take a shower." With that sais, Z headed to the showers. Jack and Bridge headed to the showers too. Bridge stopped for a bit as he saw Sky looking up at the clouds above him.

He suddenly remembered what day it was, it was the anniversary of Sky's friend kidnapp. Jack glanced at Sky. He wondered what was wrong with him, but he was no psychologist, he couldn't know what was going on inside Sky's head.

"What's up with him?" Jack asked as he pointed at Sky.

"Long story. Its Sky's story to tell, not mine." Jack nodded as Bridge told him. Jack headed to the showers. Bridge ran up to the Blue Ranger. He looked at him.

"I know we will find her, Sky. You need to trust us, we have been looking for her since we entered the Academy. Kat said she meant a big deal to you." Sky gazed at Bridge. He nodded sadly and sat with the Green Ranger in a bench.

"I know Bridge. I'm losing hope. I try to tell myself that we will find her. Every year that goes by is the same. I hate this day, I should have protected her. She was my best friend."

"There was nohing you could do. You were kids for Klingon's sake. The same would have happened to you if you had attempted to help her. I wouldn't want to lose you, you are a great Ranger." Sky gave him a small smile. Bridge always found a way to make him feel better.

"Thanks Bridge. I will see you later, I have to go and take a shower. Im just glad we don't have anymore training today." The Blue Ranger sighed and ran to the shower room. Bridge looked up at the sky and sighed sadly.

"Sydney, if you are out there, give Sky some hope. Give him a sign, he's losing himself and we need him." He said to the sky as he sttod up. He ran to the showers to wash the mud off himself.

SPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSDPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPD

She awoke from bed, stretching her arms and yawning loudly. She was sure everyone in the ship had heard her. She smiled to herself and headed to her bathtub, she took a quick dip and shower and headed to her closet. A pink towel wrapped around her petite shivering body. She picked out a gingham sundress and ballet flats. She smiled to herself as she dressed.

Today was the day. The day of her anniversary. The dreadful day in which she was captured. Rogue herself did not remember much. But Sydney did. Rogue actually felt glad she was there with Grumm, at least she was not the one suffering from the destruction caused to the city. The evil side of her was not so sure about Sydney enjoying this day as much as she did. If she in fact, had a good side to her evil self, it was either really small, or buried deep inside. Very deep inside. She curled her hair and grabbed a navy blue headband with a small bow. She put it on and walked out of her room.

She made her way to Mora's room. She entered without even knocking. The ten year old shot her a dirty look as Rogue sat next to her on the small tea table. Rogue took the liberty of pouring herself some tea on a porcelain cup. She sipped the tea and smiled. She grabbed a donut. Mora shot her another dirty look.

"Didn't anyone teach you to knock?" Mora questioned the villianess. Syd put a hand to her lips and hummed a bit.

"No not really. Why do you ask?" Mora rolled her eyes at her comeback. She stood up and walked to the older girl. "And didn't anyone teach you not to throw food away. I'm sure you won't mind giving your friend here a donut. You won't eat all of this..." She gestured to the pastries in Mora's tea set. "Unless you want to get fat. If you ask me, you dont need the extra weight, you have enough as it is."

"All of this food is for my friends and you are not my friend." Mora stood up from her chair and walked to Rogue, she snatched the sweet pastry away from her mouth and stepped on it with her foot, making the donut a sugary, doughy mess on the floor. Rogue decided that that was what Mora was going to look like when she was done with her.

"Very mature." She clapped her hands and kneeled on the floor. She grabbed a bunch of napkins and cleaned the mess up. Mora gave her a curious glance and poked Rogue's cheek with her index finger.

"You are so... lifelike." Rogue raised an eyebrow and stood up, cleaning her dress from any sugar that was left on her dress. "I wouldn't be surprised if you baked me a pie."

"Excuse me?" She glared at the little girl.

"I was just checking if Grumm hadn't replaced with some Stepford Wife version of yourself." The petite blonde glared.

"Is that an insult?"

"It depends on how you look at it. I mean, you are usually all LaFemme Nikkita wearing leather and karate chopping the good guys. And today, you are wearing a dress. A dress that does not scream 'Dominatrix' and you are not wearing heels. You look different, that's all. And no, its not an insult. I like your dress." Rogue was surprised by Mora's statement. The little girl had a point, she did wear leather most of the time. Rogue looked at herself in Mora's mirror, she looked different, but in a good way. Could this be her good side surfacing at last?

Grumm came into Mora's room. The emperor observed the young humans. He looked around Mora's room and then sat down on a chair. Mora walked to Rogue's side. Grumm stared at the older girl closely. She felt like she taking part in some 'Stare at my body and state your opinion' contests.

"You look nice. Its too bad that I need you to go pick something up for me." Rogue shaked her head and looked at him. She felt confident in talking back to Grumm.

"Actually, Emperor. Its my day off. All high rank villians have days off, the 'Intergalactic Rulebook of Villians' says so, they could sue if I dont get my day off. High-rank villians have a danger scale from 5 to 10. Im on level 7, Mora is level 5. So, that means we will both be at the park if you need us." Grumm huffed and walked out of the room. Mora smiled and changed her clothes in a flash. She decided to wear a skirt with thights underneath and a red sweater. Rogue covered her lips with red lipgloss. She looked at Mora and smiled. "Let's go, pretend you are my sister. And don't say anything about you working with Grumm. I really want to get some guy to like me." She snapped her fingers, he hair turned into a dark golden blond. Her eyes turned a dark blue. She held Mora's hand as they tele-transported down to Earth.

Mora looked around the park as she walked with Rogue on the grass. She glanced at everything. She asked Rogue questions about the things that humans were doing there. The younger girl let go of the other girl's hand.

"I'm going to be by the swings. See you later, alligator." The younger girl ran to the swings and giggled. That was definently a new facet to Mora, the evil little brat. Rogue continued to walk through the park.

A mechanic dog came over to her and began walking around her. A small red ball came out of its mouth and fell to the floor. She picked it up and tossed it so it could catch it. A few seconds later, a familiar face approached her. He came running up to the mechanical dog. "RIC!" He shouted. He came up running up to her, the dog at his side.

"I'm sorry. RIC can be a little rude at times. He likes playing that's all." She smiled and looked at him. "I'm sorry I did not introduce myself, I'm Sky Tate." She nodded and shook his hand. The Blue Ranger did have a name after all.

"I'm Cyndi Jones. Nice to meet you too." She smiled and faked a southern accent. He shook her hand and smiled at her. She gave a slight grin and walked with him by the park.

"So Cyndi, where are you from?" He asked the girl in front of him. She looked familiar but he couldn't place her face.

"I'm from Louisiana, I moved here with my sister and my parents." She was surprised as to how well she could fake accents. She had gotten the accent from watching CSI Miami, Calleigh Duquesne, a female investigator from Louisiana.

They walked through the park for another hour. Sky held back as 'Cyndi' touched his hand. He was nervous. There was something familiar with her. The Blue Ranger told her about his family and what he did. She faked amazement when he said he was in the SPD Academy. She also told him about her 'family', everything was a lie. She felt bad, but she was enjoying the moment too much to screw it up with the truth. What was she supposed to say? 'Hi, my name is not Cyndi Jones, my real name is Rogue and Im your enemy.' That would have been a hell of a conversation.

A beep came from Sky's morpher, he took it out and pressed a button to open. He gazed at her. A voice came from the phone-like device. Sky shot her an apologetic look. He took her hand in his and a smile crossed his face. She smiled back and blushed a bit.

"I'm sorry, Cyndi, I have to go. Can we go out sometime else?" He looked directly into her dark blue orbs. Blue met blue as he penetrated her gaze. He could have sworn that he had seen a hint of baby blue in her beautiful dark orbs.

"My father is quite overprotective. I don't know. But I will give you my private cell phone number and we can talk there." She grabbed a napkin from a nearby ice cream cart nad wrote down her number in pink pen. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her cheeks were now a bright pink. She actaully felt warm when his lips touched her soft skin. Sky gave her his cell phone number and kissed her cheek one more time. She grinned at him.

He waved and ran to his bike. She waved back and started to formulate her evil plan in her mind. A smile crossed her face as ideas came to her mind. Oh, the possibilites. She thought of many ways to destroy the Rangers. Slowly and painfully. She had already discarded the possibilty of capturing a Ranger and converting him to evil. Brainwashing took a long time, years maybe. She wanted to see the destruction of Earth when she was still young. Unlike Grumm who was a sack of bones and dust, a powerful one at that. She walked to Mora. The little girl got down from the swing and smiled at her.

"Got a new boy you can use for an evil plan?" Mora started to pick on Rogue's brain as they got on the ship. Rogue looked happy, she let out a small laugh.

"Better yet, I got a new boy, who just happens to be a Ranger. I will use him for my evil plan." Mora was delighted at her words. They walked into the bridge of the ship. Syd noticed there were about 50 boxes of small diamonds. She was in awe.

"I dreamt about this once. Oh I love diaminds!" She saw a big one and smiled holding it up. She was pleased and so was Mora. After all, diamonds really are a girl's best friend. Well right after boys and pets. In that order. Mora picked up a big diamond and looked at her reflection in the shiny rock. She was amazed by so much beauty. Grumm came into the bridge of the ship. Mora set the diamond down, Rogue imitated her.

"Stop playing you too, I hope you came up with something, Rogue." The petite girl nodded and smiled.

"Oh yes, my plan is genius!" She clapped her hands and grinned. "But I will only do it if you give one of these diamonds. You know how much I love them." She tried her best to persuade him, she even attempted the puppy dog eyes. Grumm glared at her. "Ok, don't give anything. I will tell you about my plan later. Time for me to go boogie." She grinned nervously and headed to her room.

She started feeling a little remorse for what she was about to do. Her future plans would eliminate any possibilities of a relationship with a human. She would have to settle for aliens. She shivered and sat in her bed. Had her good side surfaced today? Did she even have a hint of good in her body? She shook her head and sighed. She layed down and fell asleep with her clohes on, she did not even bother to change.


	9. Of Lies and Betrayal

_**Author's note: **Hello to all my fabulous readers. I'm sorry about the delay, really, really sorry. I was over at South Padre Island on vacations with my mom and two of my friends. I also began school on Monday and I have been quite busy. I hope you enjoy my work. Thanks to everyone who reviews, specially to Jeremy Shane, eva shiloo and Kat Ranger. Review more!_

Chapter 8 Of Lies and Betrayal.

Sky walked back to the Academy. His steps were rushed and quick. When he got to the front steps, he ran to the top. He felt like Rocky Balboa, he wanted to celebrate. He had finally gotten the courage to walk up to a girl and talk to her. And Cyndi was not only a girl, she seemed more than a southern belle with cute hair and blue eyes. She seemed familiar but he could not place her face anywhere.

Z, Jack and Bridge were talking abou Grumm's latest monster when Sky rushed inside the room. A huge smile plastered across his face. The three turned to face the Blue Ranger. Z raised an eyebrow when he saw Sky's grin. She stood up and inspectioned him closely.

"Did hell freeze over?" Z questioned the Green and Red Rangers, the she turned to Sky. "Now, there's something we have not seen before, Sky, Mr-Stick-In-The Butt, Tate, grinning from ear to ear."

"That must have been a great walk in the park." Jack said as he turned to Bridge's opinion.

"What exactly happened in the park?" Bridge asked. Sky sat down next to him and grabbed a red apple. The apple reminded him of Cyndi. A coat of beauty on the outside, a sweet center on the inside.

"I met a girl." Sky stated lamely. Z spat out her drink and dropped her jaw. "Her name is Cyndi Jones and she just moved here. She's from Louisiana, I evern have her cell phone number."

"So are you two little lovebirds going on a date sometime soon?" The Yellow Ranger gushed.

"Maybe. Her father is overprotective. I hope we can go out sometime. She's pretty and she's really nice. She even mentioned that she would love to meet all of you sometime."

"Tomorrow's our day off, we were planning on going to the park. Why don't you call her and tell her our plans for tomorrow?" The Red Ranger asked. Sky grinned and dialed her number on her phone.

**The Terror**

Rogue sat in her room reading a book. She was bored out of her mind. She flipped through the pages mindlessly. Not even the bright illustrations could get her attention. It was clear that not even 'Evil Planning for Dummies' would do the trick, she closed the book and stared at the bight yellow cover. She threw the book, it made a loud thump as it hit the wall. She gazed at her collection of books, she ran her slong lendr fingers on the ledge of the books.

She took a few books and picked one from her secret hiding place. She hugged the book and smiled. The book was part of her secret and most beloved collection. She sat on her bed and began reading 'A Walk To Remember' by Nicholas Sparks. She sighed dreamily and read the printed words on white paper.

"Oh, Jamie! You are so lucky to have such a nice guy like Langdon." She echaled in her dreamy voice. She snapped out of her thoughts when her phone ringed. She celebrated silently when she read the caller ID. She cleared her throat and answered.

"Hey Sky, Cyndi Jones speaking." The perky blonde channeled her inner Calleigh Duquesne.

"_Hey CJ. Its my day off tommorow and I was wondering if you would..." He paused and formulated his words caefully. "Like to come with me and meet my friends?" _

"I would be delighted to join you. I will even bring you that picture of my pet pig." She heard Sky's laugh. "I'm kidding, I will be there."

"_I will see you tomorrow then." He was all smiles. Z stared at him as he spoke on the phone. He heard her hang up. _

"You are doing exactly the things I want you to do, Blue Ranger. You are eating right out of the palm of my hand. Soon... Blue Ranger... very soon." She smiled and practiced her evil laugh. She suddenly heard footsteps approaching her room. She his the book underneath her pillows and layed on her stomach.

"Poor Blue Ranger. So naive and unaware of my true self. You will know my plans soon enough. Everything is going as it should and you, my dear, are just another pawn in my little evil game of chess..." Her doors opened and someone she knew very well stepped inside. It was not Grumm, but an alien. She rushed to him and hugged him.

"Dru! Dru Harrington!" She exclaimed happily as her arms embraced him. She let go and took a sit on her bed.

"Still talking to yourself?" He asked grinning. Rogue shrugged and patted her bed. He nodded and took a seat besides the girl.

"A bit. What are you doing here? I thought you were undercover in an SPD Base in Helix Nebula."

"I was. But, I 'disappeared' two years ago. Im here to help you and Grumm." She grinned and clapped her hands.

"Well, I do have a plan. Are you still friends with the Blue Ranger, Sky Tate?"

"With him? Our friendship ended years ago when I went to the Helix Nebula and started working for Grumm. The fool thinks we are still friends."

"And he needs to keep thinking that. I need to destroy SPD from the inside. Starting with Commander Cruger, and then the Rangers. I want you to infiltrate SPD." She fixed his collar and patted his chest.

"Have you been reading 'Evil Planning for Dummies' again?" He held up the book. She blushed and nodded. "Its finally rubbing off on you."

"I just happen to come up with this things." She told Dru smugly, shrugging. "Anyway, we need to start as soon as possible or the Rangers will get stronger."

"I still have my SPD-issued ship with me. That is my free ticket to enter Earth. I will have this to communicate with you." He paused and gave the girl a small earpiece. Dru stood up and walked out of the room with confidence radiating out of him. She sat on her bed. Debating on wther to say goodbye or a 'see you later'. The mission would be hard enough, infiltrating SPD, what was she thinking?

She stood up and cursed herself as she rushed to the docks. She ran to the docks and saw him there. Before Dru could step inside his ship, she took him by the wrist and raised it up. She removed her hand from his wrist and locked hands with him. Dru stared into the young villian's blue eyes. Her eyes were full of hate and anger, but deep inside he knew that Rogue's eyes were full of hope and compassion.

She sighed and looked down at the floor, embrassed by what she had done. He lifted her chin with his hand and looked at her eyes again. He stroked her cheek and put a lock of blonde hair behind her ears.

"Be careful. The mission is already dangerous. If it fails, you will end up in those little cards." Rogue exhaled softly and kept her eyes on his.

"Don't worry, ok? The plan is perfect. If it fails, I will do everything to protect you. You are much more important than me." He told her softly, stroking her soft, pale cheek. He kissed her cheek before getting on the ship. She took a few steps back and watched the galaxy as Dru took off. She let out a melancholic sigh and headed to her room.

**Earth**

Z was already starting to catch z's when the alrms went off. Her eyes snapped open and looked at the screen. She stood up and rushed over to the intercom. She pressed the red button and cleared her throat.

"B-Squad Rangers, please report to the Command Center, and I mean now!"

After 20 seconds the Rangers were in the Command Center, uniforms and morphers in their hands. Z laughed loudly when he saw that Bridge was wearing his SPD t-shirt backwards, the tags were visible and DSP was the word that could be read. The Green Ranger raised his eyebrows, he was as confident that nothing was wrong with him as always.

"What?" Bridge questioned to his teammates. Everyone stared at him and stayed quiet. Bridge kept staring at them.

"Oh, nothing Bridge, we were just looking at DSP shirt, its quiet cool, where did you buy it?" Z asked, trying to sound girly, everyone said that she should be more femenine.

"DSP? Its SPD, Z. Obviously you have not read your manual correctly, Space Patrol Delta stands for SPD, which is where we work and where we are at the moment. This shirt was given to me when I became a B-Squad Ranger...." Bridge paused and put a finger on his chin. He looked down at his shirt and saw that his shirt was backwards. "I should really take some lessons to identify sarcasm." Z grinned high-fived Jack.

"Rangers movilize, there's a ship that just crashed on the city square, coordinates are on your Delta Runners." The Rangers nodded and mophed. Once on their vehicles, the Rangers started patroling the town square, looking for any signs of life that might have escaped from the ship. Sky flew his helicopter closer to land so he could take a good look at the ship. He looked at the ship closely, the word SPD was written in one of the sides of the ship.

A semi-human form started to emerged from the ship. Sky prepared his weapons so he could take down the enemy. What he saw next amazed him. A man, a tad shorter than him, started to come out of all the debris caused by the forced landing. He glanced at his wrist, the alien was wearing the same metallic bracelet he had on his wrist. He gasped and retrieved his weapons.

"Don't fire! I kniw him, he's a cadet from Helix Nebula." The Blue Ranger ejected from his Delta Runner and landed on the ground. He demorphed and adjusted his uniform, he wanted for Dru to see him as a Ranger, not just a cadet. He looked for Dru, he could not find him. He walked around the debris and called his name several times.

He finally heard his voice and another familiar voice behind the ship. He ran and found Dru. He also found her. She was there in all of her beauty and her grace, standing in front of him, helping his friend.

"Dru! Are you ok?" The Blue Ranger put a hand on his estranged friend's shoulder. "Cyndi, what are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk and saw him coming out of the ship, I could not just stand there and let him get hurt." She told the Blue Ranger. Sky stared at her hand, a large bloody gash was visible on her hand and her cheek. He moved closer.

"You're bleeding."

"It's no big deal, he's the one who needs help." The other Rangers came running to him, panting and gasping. Sky supported Dru on one side, while Cyndi helped him on the other side. They walked slowly to the other Rangers.

"What's wrong with you? We've been training for months, man! You just like screwing us up, don't you?" Z panted as she spoke. The girl stared at the blonde before her, she moved closer and smiled, she extended her hand. "I'm Z."

"Cyndi Jones, nice to meet you." She shook the other girl's hand. Maybe being a 'goody-goody', as she called them, was not all that bad. She actually felt a bit of warmth inside her. The warmth she needed to break the ice that had covered her heart and her soul.

They walked to the Jeep and placed Dru on the back seat, Cyndi gently layed him down. She grabbed a blanket from the trunk and covered him with it. She smiled gently and wrapped some gauze on the wound in her hand. A sudden blast sent her flying to the brick wall behind her, she groaned as she hit the floor. Her head hurt and everything was blurry. Sure, she had received plenty of blasts but not while she was unmorphed. She stared at the Jeep, Dru tried to sit up and take a look at her. Sky rushed over to her side. She lifted the petite girl on his arms, carrying her princess style. Cindy wrapped her arms around his neck and layed down, resting her head against his chest.

"Are you ok, CJ?" She smiled and nodded her head a bit. "You need medical attention, you may have a concussion. We are putting you in the medical wing of SPD until we find what exactly hit you, ok?" She coughed and nodded.


	10. Fragments

_**Author's Note: **I'm sorry about the delay, once again, I have been busy , I had exams, which went very well and I have a debate in the first week of October and I have been writing a short story for my English class and a persuasive speech about seat belt safety. So, I was pretty busy. I'm going to continue writing, hope you like it. Read and Review! Please, pretty please with a cherry on top. Thanks to everyone who as reviewed and read it._

CJ rose from Sky's arms. Her vision was still blurry, she closed her eyes and opened them, trying to focus on the person that was carrying her in his arms. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. Sky nervously stroked her cheek and her blond locks. The caressing made her feel calm, but she still knew that she had to get out of there before anybody found out about who she really was. Her cover would be blown and no one would look at her in the same way. She wanted to run but at the same time, she wanted to stay there, in Sky's arms. Warm and protected, something she had never felt before.

Bright lights and loud voices filled her ears. Sky ran to the infirmary as she tried to stay calm in his arms, the concussion was making her dizzy and her vision was becoming blurry again. The tall man placed her on a bed as Doctor Manx pushed him out of the room so she could her job.

Sky waited for an hour, for him, it felt like an eternity to him. Each second that went by was torture. He needed to see her, to know that she was well and not hurt. He exhaled loudly and put his head in his hands. It was too much for one day, his best friend and the girl he loved had been put in the hospital by some alien creature sent by Emperor Grumm. Sky sat up when he saw Kat coming out of the room. He stood up and studied her for a minute.

"Cyndi is OK, she had to have stitches on the palm of her hand and she has a mild headache but there is no permanent damage. I must warn you, though, that she wants to go home. She says she can't stay here. She mentioned something about an overprotective father." Kat moved out of the way and let Sky walk in.

Sky was shocked when he saw that she was ready to leave. He rushed over to the petite girl and held her hand in his. "Please don't go, CJ. You were hurt and whatever attacked you is out there, in the streets. I don't want for you to get hurt again."

"Look, Sky, you are really nice but I can't stay here. I'm OK. It's just a headache and a few stitches. I need to go." She started to walk out of the room, she was already in the door of the medical wing when Sky stopped her by standing there. "Get out of my way!"

"I'm not moving until you get back on that bed."

"Its too bad that you will have to wait for an eternity, because I'm not moving." She retorted as she glared at him. Deep inside, she knew that she would never say that. But she knew she had to leave, it was for her own good and for Sky. Cyndi slapped him harshly, leaving a mark on his cheek, Sky just looked at her. He stepped aside slowly, he couldn't figure her out. Cyndi ran out of the room and covered her eyes, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Once she was outside, Grumm transported her to the Terror. She was heart broken and her emotions were out of hand. She was crying and she was angry. Grumm examined her as she stood before him. Her clothes were torn and her hair was messy. He had never seen her like this before. Her human emotions were starting to surface, he knew it would happen at some point. It was shocking to him, her emotional side had never come out, something bad must have happened to her.

Rogue walked to her room, head bent down and eyes watching the floor as she went by the ship. She tried to calm down but it did not work. She could not stop thinking about what had happened, he slapped the guy she dreamed of and now she was sure that he hated her with all his being. She sat on her bed and covered her body with a quilt. If there was ever a time to eat ice cream and cry, this would be it.

She broke into a three hour tear marathon. She was inconsolable, not even chocolate could mend her broken heart. She was angry at herself for doing what she had done. She hoped that Sky would give her another chance. She really wanted to be with him. Did she really want to give everything up for him, not even knowing who she really is? Yes. And could she also be honest and tell him everything about herself? No.

She exhaled and took the picture out of her book. The one with the unknown boy and herself. She traced her long fingers through it. It was as if the picture was telling her about the person that she once used to be and that boy had something to do with it. She gasped loudly as a sharp pain invaded her head. She rubbed her temples madly, in an attempt to get rid of the pain. The more she rubbed, the more pain she felt. She laid down and closed her eyes. As soon as she closed them, the pain disappeared but she could not open her eyes.

_Rogue tried to open her eyes but something was preventing her from doing so. A bright forest surrounded her. Tall, green trees surrounded her as she walked by the mysterious place. There were deer and wild, yet peaceful, animals. She turned around to look for a sign of where she was, all she could see was the same forest. She continued to walk by, the humid dirt was definitely not helping her walk any faster. The heel of her boots would sink into the mud every time she took a step. _

_Three hours had gone by, the forest still looked the same. She exhaled loudly and screamed at the sky, cursing herself for falling into this nightmare. She continued to walk, her legs and feet were killing her. She leaned against a tree and rested her head against the bark of the tree. The young villainess let out a few breaths before she finally sat down to rest. She put her head between her hands and let the tears run freely. She did not even know why she was crying. As she sat up, still trying to control her emotions, a cold breeze touched her body, making goosebumps on her skin. As she rubbed her eyes, a figure appeared in front of her._

_The figure before her was somewhat familiar but it seemed like an eternity since she had last seen her. She stood up and observed the person. She had light skin that now looked like a plain sheet of paper, white and dull. The girl seemed to be about seven years old. Her pink dress was dirty and tattered. Her blond locks had darkened and her eyes did not sparkle like aquamarines anymore, they were just empty and melancholic. _

"_I know you don't remember me, its been a long time." Rogue could remember the girl from the picture that she kept hidden inside her book. She could not place her face, she seemed so familiar. It was as if this girl had always been a part of her. _

"_I'm sorry, I wish I knew who you were, but I really don't. You seem so familiar. Please tell me who you are." She approached the girl and removed her jacket and placed it around the girl's shivering body. The girl took off the jacket and gave it back to her. Rogue glared at her and put the jacket back on._

"_I don't need your jacket, I mean, I'm dead already. Why should I use it, I'm still going to be cold. My soul is doomed to roam this forest for.. eternity." Rogue touched the girl's cheek, she was right, she was already dead and had been for a long time. Rogue put her arms around the girl protectively as she saw another figure approaching them._

_The figure did not look threatening, in fact, it looked peaceful and calm. She gasped as the figure stepped closer, she saw herself, dressed in a long white gown with a flower in her hair. The other Rogue touched her cheek, she felt warmth emanating from the figure before her eyes. The girl removed her hand from Rogue's cheek and observed her._

"_So who are you and who is she? And why do you look like me? And is she really dead?" The younger girl took her hand and guided her to a lake with a waterfall. She sat down next to the figure resembling her._

"_We both look like you actually. The younger girl is, or used to be, a part of you some years ago." She paused for a second as she cleared her throat. "I know its hard to remember, but you were a good person and would still be if Grumm had not done the things he did to you. You don't have to do this, this is not your destiny. It just another one of Grumm's mind games." She held the girl's hand in hers. They were exactly the same shape and length of hers._

"_She's not really dead, she just looks and feels that way. She used to be you, or us, but she's long gone now. She has been here ever since that skeleton branded you and ended your childhood. You have to remember, even if you don't want to. Remembering is the only way to know the truth about who you are. You know who you are, I know you do. Tell me your name and by name, I mean your real name, not your super cool villain name." She handed her a cup of fresh water. Rogue took it into her mouth, it tasted like heaven. It was fresh and pure, like nothing she had ever tasted before._

"_Sydney." She answered. The figure smiled and took hold of her hands again. "Every time I try to remember who I am, Grumm comes into my mind and makes me want to forget everything but know I feel calm and I'm not scared. All because of you." _

"_You did all the work by yourself, Syd. I'm just another part of you, I'm your emotional side. I was dead and cold but everything changed since you started caring about that boy you were seeing. Don't try to escape just now. This is dangerous enough already, stay calm and don't let Grumm see you like this. He will notice, act as always, there will come a time when you will be able to escape him and his minions. You will know when to leave. But not right now."_

_As she finished her last words, Syd's eyes unfocused and everything started to blur around her. The trees faded into nothing and so did the forest and the two girls. Everything faded into black, she was alone once again in her mind. She looked around and only saw darkness. _

Rogue sat up, waking up covered in a cold sweat. She sighed loudly as she opened her eyes. She touched her cheeks, sh had been crying, which was something she did not do very often. Blood trickled down her nose and into her lips. She was sure that she looked like hell at that moment. She checked herself in the mirror only to confirm her suspicions. She was pale, bruised from the ambush earlier and her eyes were red and pussy from crying. She wiped the blood from her nose with a tissue and laid in her bed again. Gathering her thoughts about what had happened in her dream. Dream? Had it been a dream? She was not sure.

Her mind suddenly clicked. She had forgotten about Dru, he was still in the SPD Academy. He had mentioned his plan to her, but she was not so sure about it. If the Rangers found out about his plan, he would be locked up forever and everyone she really cared about in her life would vanish. She hoped for Dru to be careful, or better yet, to forget about his plan and get out of there. But that would never happen, the man had always been as stubborn as a mule.

She sighed and buried her face in her hands. After a few minutes, she was done crying, her eyes could not stand another tear marathon. They looked like tomatoes from so much crying. But she was definitely ready for some food, her stomach had been begging her for something to eat. She stood up and grabbed a blanket, draping it over her shoulders. She sat down on Grumm's chair on the main bridge and looked at her feet.

"You do look lovely today, Rogue. The washed out villainess look suits you. You should try it more often, would you give me style tips sometimes?" Mora snickered at her as she walked to into the room. "I would really love to know how to get all those bruises and the smudged mascara looks awesome!"

"And I would really like to know where you get your guts from, because when I'm done with you, you won't have any left." She stood up and made her hand into a fist of iron and showed it to the girl. "One more comment like that and this is going straight to your head."

"Well now I'm scared, an iron fist, really? That's your threat? I could come up with something much better than that, you know?" A Krybot brought her an object from her room. She swung it gracefully in her hands. It was long and silver. "Remember this?"

"Put that away now, before I do something that I might or might not regret. Please Mora! Put that away!" Her eyes filled with tears as Mora played with the same branding iron that had been used on her. It seemed like Mora would not listen, she swallowed hard and shot a ball of black and pink energy at the unsuspecting girl. Mora fell backwards on the ground, her body was unresponsive but her eyes were focused on her.

"I told you not to mess with me, ever! Speaking about that brand, it gave me powers, remember? The power of darkness, Mora. I learned to control them, even though you said that I would never be able to. Its a shame, we were just starting to get along. If you had not pulled this little stunt, I was even considering forgiving you for the brand. This is just a warning, next time, I wont only paralyze you, I will kill you."

Rogue began to walk away as she leaned against a wall, trying to focus her vision. It was all becoming blurry again. She could not believe what she had done to Mora, it was as if she had been possessed by a stronger being. She walked over to Mora and her vision was just as blurry as ever, everything around her was distorted, nothing seemed real, only her and Mora. Suddenly, all she was darkness as she crumbled to the floor, her body laying unconscious next to the little girl.

SPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPDSPD

Dru wandered around the halls of SPD, looking for the Command Center. He knew that Sky trusted him entirely, but he was not so sure about the Red Ranger, he knew that he had his doubts about the alien cadet. If he ever found out about his plan, he would have eliminate him, just as he would do with everyone there, including Sky, once he finished his attack on SPD.

He continued to walk through the cast corridors of SPD, and then his eyes saw it. He smiled to himself and went inside the command center. He was even more happy when he saw that the place was empty, he needed information for Grumm and Broodwing. He knew that Broodwing would pay highly for any information he obtained from the computers at the SPD computers. Suddenly, he heard footsteps close to where he was standing. The doors opened and in came the Red Ranger. He turned around to face him.

"May I ask what you are doing here? I'm sure that Sky would not like to find out that you are breaking the rules. The Command Center is only for cadets with higher ranks, not visitors." Jack said as he checked the computers. He browsed and clicked, he did not find anything to incriminate Dru so he paused and looked at him again.

"I was just here to look at everything, we certainly don't have this technology over at Helix Nebula. It was just curiosity, nothing more." He locked gazes with the Red Ranger again. Jack could look right through his lies, but he couldn't do anything until he had proof of Dru's plans. He would have to wait for him to mess up or do something. He just hoped that no one got hurt because of the alien cadet's schemes.


	11. Truth

_**Author's note: **Here you go, a new chapter for you to digest and enjoy. Oh and also to review! _

She opened her eyes to find that she was still lying on the floor, everything looked the same, except for Mora. The little girl was standing before her, looking down at her like she was some sort of exhibition. Her vision focused after a few seconds, her headache and the dizziness she had been experience were both gone.

"I'm so sorry Mora, I don't know what came over me. I should have never done that, even if you do bother me, a lot." She tried to touch the girl's arm, but the child jerked it away like she was scared of the older girl. Rogue felt bad for what happened, she felt like a monster inside. However, she was grateful that she had escaped from the medical wing, she could not even imagine what could have happened if she had become more angry at Sky.

It was as if something dark and evil had come and took over her body. She may have been trained to be heartless in battle, but not outside of it. Her mind had been constantly telling her to forget emotions, that she was no longer a human, but a weapon of mass destruction. Her heart, on the other side, told her to try and bring human emotions to light. It also told her that she was not destined to become whatever Grumm had promised her she would be.

She tried to touch the girl's arm again. Mora jerked away, again. Mora was not scared of her but of the darkness inside of her. A darkness that was patiently anticipating the right moment for it to become fully unleashed and take over her body, for good.

"Don't touch me. Last time I checked, you left me paralyzed when you touched me. I don't know who you are anymore, you are a monster." She spat with venom in her voice. "Come back when you don't have anymore intentions to kill me."

"All right, I get your point. I'm truly sorry about what happened, I just need a break; from Grumm, from fighting and from just about everything. I will even bake you a batch of chocolate chip cookies as part of the apology if that's what you want. But in the meant time, you will have to stick with the verbal part of the apology because we are out of sugar." Rogue took out an empty jar of sugar.

"Do the cookies come before or after you take your break? I'm starving and your cookies are the best I have ever had." Rogue smirked at her comment and went to her room to get her clothes. Mora stood outside her room, waiting for an answer. Rogue came out looking as she always had. Leather corset tightened, leather pants and high heel boots. She grabbed one of her favorite from the wall, her black crossbow, and walked to the bridge with Mora following behind her.

"You will have to wait until I'm back, I need to do something that's really important first. I promise I will bake your cookies when I'm back." Mora nodded and held on to her promise. She blinked here brown eyes and when she opened them, Rogue was gone.

**Earth**

Rogue had landed on downtown Newtech City, the part where every lowlife lived. SPD would not detect her signal there and it would give her enough time to change into her Cindy costume. She walked through the streets silently, a cloak concealing her identity. Everyone watched her as she strolled down the dirty alleys, they knew who she was but everyone was too scared to ask anything. Grumm was feared by the aliens living in that part of town. They had to be either really stupid or really brave, like Piggy, to join his army.

She finally reached Piggy's home, or dumpster, she put a pair of gloves on and knocked violently on the alien's door. She continued to knock until Piggy opened up. Piggy put his hat on and smelled the girl, not trying to be polite at all. She grabbed his neck and glared at him.

"You better not do that the next time I come and visit you. I'm in a giving mood today, you don't want to make me get mad." She swung a bag of rotten food and a stack of bills in front of his face temptingly. Piggy tried to snatch the bag away from her since he was starving for a slice of molding bread. Rogue grinned and put the bag behind her arm.

"Not yet." The blond girl told him. "I will give you this bag and the stack of bills when you tell me what I need to know."

"Sounds like a fair deal, my princess. Tell Piggy what you need to know and Piggy will answer." She watched as Piggy put an orange turban on his head. She glared at the alien and rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to create a mood, princess, a peaceful mood. I'm not trying to annoy you."

"Are you in love with me or something? A dirty dumpster is not exactly my idea for a first date, you know? I expected something a little bit more romantic and someone much more..." Rogue scanned Piggy with her eyes and watched him closely. "Handsome, no offense. But dirty alien is not my thing, sorry."

"You are pretty but clean, spoiled princesses aren't my thing either." The girl let a sigh of relief and smiled. "Moving on, what does the princess of evil need to know?"

"I found this in my food yesterday. I have no idea what it is. I thought I would bring it you since you have knowledge about stuff like this." She held a clear plastic bag containing a black powder inside. Piggy examined the strange content for a few minutes. Piggy crouched inside his dumpster and then stood up straight again. He placed a black folder on the ledge and began flipping through its content.

"Make yourself comfortable, princess. This may take a while." The alien jumped out of his home and took out a small stool for her. He even cleaned it for her, something he never did for anyone else, not even for him. Rogue sat on the stool and smiled at Piggy's manners.

"You are pretty decent when you want to be. I will put in a good word for you. Thank you." She sighed and hummed while Piggy kept flipping through his book, trying to find some answers for her. "You don't have to call me princess, just call me Rogue."

"And you don't have to hum while I'm working." Piggy said politely. The alien suddenly stood up and put the book in Rogue's lap. He pointed his dirty finger at a picture and a description was besides it. "There, that's what you're looking for."

"Black Crystal. Have you ever heard of it before, Piggy?" She questioned. She sounded serene and peaceful, and Piggy could also feel the melancholy that emerged from her body. Piggy nodded and put the book away.

"Black Crystal, BC for short, is a terribly powerful substance. I had never actually seen it. BC is not sold anywhere on Earth because of its effects on the person who consumes it. Besides, its illegal here and on every other planet." Piggy watched as the human before him tried to reach for the book, probably to know about the effects of the powerful substance.

"Piggy, give me the book." She commanded. "I need to know the effects of this drug, its my life and body that we are talking about, please!" He sighed again and took her hands as he sat down next to her.

"I knew someone once who was being given the drug. She was a girl just like you, innocent and sweet, you could find no evil in her whatsoever. Everything ended when she lost everything to Black Crystal. She lost her childhood and every bit of good that she had in her body." Rogue nodded, closing her eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"There are short-term side effects, which are not permanent. Memory loss, mood swings, nausea, nightmares and the list goes on. But I'm afraid that the long-term effects are much more worse." He paused and looked her in the eye, he sighed and joined hands with her again. The look in her eyes was just urging him to go on.

"Long-term effects include neurological and psychological effects. Permanent memory loss of the life you had before you started taking BC is just one of them. The person becomes violent and it can come to a point where the person can't feel empathy or any other human emotions whatsoever. When the person is that point, there is no way to go back. You can end up in a catatonic state when you've had too much of it. Be careful, Grumm is doing this so he can control you, don't let him succeed."

Rogue shook her head several times, tears rolling down her cheeks. She let of of the alien's hands and buried her head between them. Piggy hesitated for a few second. He built up the courage and started to rub her back. She sighed and sat up straight again. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I have a plan but I need to know that you will stay quiet. If Grumm finds out, he will kill me and then he will come after you for helping me. I will give you money if that's what you want. My life is at stake here."

"Your secrets are safe with me, princess."

"I need a place to change, I have something to do and I can't go looking like this." She said as got up on her feet and gave Piggy the bag of rotten food and the stack of bills. Piggy pointed to a public bathroom nearby.

After a few minutes, she came out looking like a normal girl. No signs of leather anywhere, she had put on less makeup than before. A knee length, black dress hugged her body perfectly, along with a pair of stockings that wrapped her legs in black nylon. Her heels clicked on the ground as she walked back to Piggy.

"Thank you for your help Piggy, I need to go now." She said softly, the alien smiled to himself, that was the first time that he actually felt good about something that he had done. He watched as she walked away to the SPD Academy. She looked back and waved at the friendly alien. She gave him a small smile and then turned her head away again.

She walked for ten minutes and then she found the place that everyone, including Grumm, was talking about. She observed the place carefully, taking in the sights. Sh had to admit that the building itself was impressive, she could not wait to see what was awaiting her on the inside. But before, she could do anything, she had to look for Dru, she had to get him out of there.

She started to walk to the front door. A flier caught her eyes as she paced the front grounds. She read the flier, if Dru did something to Commander Cruger, he would certainly be imprisoned before he could start running. A press conference about the recent attacks would be taking place at 1 o'clock. And Cruger would be taking the stand to talk, this event could certainly help Dru accomplish his plan, but at what cost?

Rogue could not let Dru get arrested, Grumm considered him a valuable asset to his army. She knew that the Emperor would not be happy if he found out that Dru was in the SPD Academy, and all because of her fault.

The blond girl steadied herself and pushed open the doors of the building. A cool breeze hit her as soon as she entered. She scanned the inside of the building, looking for a familiar face. She suddenly saw the female doctor who had attended her the night she was in the medical wing, she seemed nice enough so she decided to ask her where her friend was. She started climbing up the stairs, her hand holding on to the metal banister for support. Suddenly, her hand started to feel more heavy and hard. She turned her head to the side and saw that her hand had turned into steel.

"It's good that I brought gloves." She stopped and pulled out her leather gloves. She put them and started walking again. She spotted Kat and walked to her.

"Hello Dr. Manx? Do you happen to know where Dru is? I really need to find him." She asked. Kat smiled and greeted her warmly. She shook the hand that was not turned into metal and smiled.

"I think that he is with Sky, probably training in the simulation room or something." Rogue nodded and smiled, hoping that she would not ask anymore questions. "Oh, by the way, may I check your hand? It did not look well when you left."

Syd held up her left instead of her injured right one, Kat chuckled and shook her head. "Its the other one, scars don't disappear in a day." Syd removed her glove behind her back, lightly touching it to see if it was still metal. And it still was cold, heavy and hard. She had no idea of what was wrong with her, they never lasted that long. She sighed and held her right hand up to where to the doctor.

Kat's eyes widened, she gasped and observed it closely. Then, she looked at Rogue. She locked eyes with the young girl and knew who she was immediately. She took a radio out of her pocket and called the Commander. Syd shook her hand to make the metal disappear but the metal did not seem to go anywhere.

"What's happening to my hand? It usually doesn't last this long." Rogue said softly, Kat put her the girl's hand down and slipped the glove on again. Rogue's eyes begged the nice doctor to let her go, but Kat knew she couldn't do that. Rogue was desperate, she needed to get out.

As she started to make her way to the staircase, two squads of cadets stopped her. She wanted to get them out of the way, but something deep inside her was telling to stay where she was. She started walking to the other side, another group of cadets stopped her again. She was trapped, she could not get out now.

Sky came into view as she turned her head in another direction. Remorse was killing her and the past had just came back o bite her in the ass. Dru came running behind the rest of the B-Squad cadets. He looked at Rogue.

"So, is it Cyndi or Rogue?" Sky questioned harshly. Her emotional pain was so big that she did not want to hurt him anymore. Suddenly, Cyndi snapped her fingers and she was back to being Rogue in few seconds.

"I don't know who I really am, Sky. I'm sorry for lying, I never intended to use you or your friends. You have to believe me, I was with you because I wanted to be, not because Grumm told me to." She paused for a few seconds as she crossed her arms. "I'm not sure of who I really am or what Grumm wants of me. Hell, I'm not even sure of anything right now. I'm not telling you to let me go but please don't arrest me, I just want to talk so you can understand what I'm saying."

"She's lying, Sky. She has done it before, why won't she do it now? She's just trying to escape." Dru retorted harshly. The comment was like another blow to the girl's heart, she did not know how much more she could take before she breaking apart.

Sky stared at Rogue's watery eyes, she seemed genuine. Bridge took his glove off to see if she was telling the truth. Bridge could see pink, purple, blue and a few stains of black here and there. "She's telling the truth, Sky."

All heads turned to Rogue, Dru had finally gotten his chance. While everyone was busy dealing with the blond girl, he took a powerful blaster gun, he aimed at his target. She pulled the trigger and a powerful blast of energy headed towards the Commander but the balst never hit him. Instead, Rogue had taken it for him.

Rogue lay on the floor, she was not moving. However, she was breathing, her chest went up and down at slow intervals. Kat got on her knees to check her pulse, the girl was still breathing. Sky stood before her, he was frozen. Jack motioned to Bridge and Z to follow him so they could capture Dru.

"It's going to be OK, Rogue. Dr. Felix and I are going to help you." Rogue groaned as she moved her legs, she was full of cuts and bruises that would take some time to heal. Dr. Felix arrived with a stretcher. Sky picked her up and put her body on the stretcher. He was worried about her. "Sky, do me a favor and take this blood sample so Boom can analyze it. We need to know what type of blood she is."

Sky nodded and took the sample over to Boom. While he waited for Boom to give him the results, he sat down in his bed, reflecting over what had happened. He looked at a picture of him and Sydney, they looked so happy back when they were little. He wanted to see her again, to find his long lost friend after eleven years of useless searching.

He stood up and went to the Command Center, there was no one in sight, which was perfect for him. He sat down in a chair and typed the words Sydney and Drew in the computer. A long list of newspaper articles and pictures of the little girl came appeared on the screen. He scrolled down the list, suddenly a headline caught his eye.

'Could missing little girl Sydney Drew be the villain that goes by the name of Rogue?' He knew the article was a fake, but he figured he wouldn't lose anything by reading it. A picture of Rogue appeared on the left side and a picture of Syd as a young girl appeared on the right. He typed a few passwords so he could age Sydney a few years to see if ti matched the picture of the villain.

After a few minutes, the altered image was complete. His eyes widened, he could not believe what he was seeing. Rogue was indeed Sydney, he ran through the halls to get to the medical wing, Kat would probably be done with surgery now.

Sky was correct in his theory, Kat was sitting besides the girl's bed. She was asleep, she looked peaceful, like nothing hurt. By the look on Kat's face, she had already gotten the blood test back and it had unexpected results that no one would have imagined.

He handed her the altered picture and Kat handed him the results. He opened the file and he was correct, it was Syd. He could not believe it, he had finally found her. His long lost friend, Sky smiled and so did Kat. Kat pulled up another chair and let him sit down at the other side.


	12. Revelations

_**Author's Note: **And for my next magic trick, I have chapter 12. Tada! Hope you like it and vote on the poll, you decide what happens to Syd my dear readers. Please vote and review a lot! And I will not stick to the Power Rangers SPD Syd, I will make her into a character with more depth and a little bit more sarcastic, like Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars. (For those of you wo don't know who she is, check wikipedia, she's a fantastic character and it was also a fabulous TV show!)_

Sky sat next to Syd's bedside. He smiled and reached to touch her forehead. He put his hand to it and felt that she warm. He started to stroke her hair gently so she would not wake up. The man smiled to himself, he had found her, his eyes filled with tears as he remembered that terrible night but they were also tears of joy.

On the other hand, Syd was fast asleep due to the medications that Kat had given to her for the pain. Her chest went up and down at a normal rate, unlike earlier when her ribs had been cracked by the force of the powerful blast.

"Sky, I need to tell you something, its about Syd." The doctor said softly as she looked down at the girl.

"You can tell me Kat." Sky answered, hoping that whatever Kat told him would be good news. He sighed and looked at the feline female. His eyes focused solely on her.

"Syd was infected with Black Crystal, we had to put an IV on her arm so we could remove the toxin from her body. She will probably be in pain when she wakes up, so be delicate with her." Dr. Manx said softly as she stood up to go to the command center.

"I will take care of her, Kat, I promise." Sky's gaze shifted as Syd started to let out soft groans in pain. Her once peaceful face was now one of pain. His hand kept stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down.

"What are you going to tell the others? They will want to know everything and I know how hard it is for you to speak about this."

"I will have to tell them the truth, we are a team." He cleared his throat and smiled a bit. "I trust them and I need for them to trust me."

Kat smiled and patted Sky in the back, he had finally learned to trust his teammates. She would have never expected him to say something like that. The doctor exited the room, leaving the cadet alone with the girl.

"Syd, I know you are in there. I know what Grumm did to you and I don't blame you for anything. Please wake up, your parents and I want to be with you again. We missed you." He knew that she would not respond or wake up, she needed time to heal. Both mentally and physically..

What Sky did not know is that Syd was having an internal battle of memories and revelations she had forgotten about. Her mind was racing with fragments of memories that had been unknown to her for some time.

_Syd woke up in the same forest that she had been in . She looked down at her clothes, she was not wearing the leather suit but the white dress. She asked herself is she had already regained her humanity, she looked around and the little girl was there. The girl approached her and smiled as she took the older girl's hand._

"_Why am I here again?" Syd asked, she just wanted to wake up from the dream and confess to everything she had done."I already know what happened to me, please let me go."_

"_You only know part of the truth. Please, trust me, this is for your own good." The girl paused and looked down at the floor. "If I show you the whole truth, you will understand why I am a part of you. Trust me when I say that this is the only way to fully regain your humanity."_

"_OK, show me." They put their hands together and in the blink of an eye. Syd was transported to another place. She looked around and the place she was in looked familiar but she still could not place it._

_Both girls stood together and watched the house come to life. The little girl guided her to a living room where they stood in silence. A man and a woman were sitting down, smiling at each other. The smell of sweet tea filled her nostrils._

_Suddenly, a little girl, exactly like the one standing next to Syd, came running down the stairs wearing a pink sun dress. She smiled and as she came down, the little girl hugged her parents and brought over a stuffed animal for her mom to take a look at._

"_What happened to Peanuts Syd?" She pointed to a gash across the stuffed animal's arm with one of her tiny fingers. The cotton was beginning to slip out of the arm. The mother pulled the little girl into an embrace and kissed her forehead. The older woman looked at the gash just as she would with a patient the animal and took out a needle._

"_Will that hurt Peanuts, mommy?" Dana shook her head and caressed her daughter' hair. This brought reassurance and a smile to the girl's face. And without hesitation, the mother started to skillfully sew the small tear. She grabbed a band aid once she was done and gave it back to the a very anxious Syd._

"_Thank you, mommy. One day I want to be a doctor too, just like you." She grabbed Dana's hand and held it tightly. She kissed her daughter's cheek and hugged her tightly. Syd lay her head in her mother's lap and fell into a deep sleep with Peanuts clutched tightly between her tiny arms. _

_On the other side of the room, the younger and older versions of Syd were standing besides a roaring fireplace. The older girl sighed and looked at her younger self, trying to bring back memories that she forgotten long ago. "Why don't I remember any of this?"_

"_The answer is simple. Grumm made you forget." She inhaled sharply and tried to think of a better answer but the little girl was right. All the pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly. But she couldn't remember anything about the day she was captured._

"_Can you take me back to when Grumm took me?" The little girl nodded and took her hand. A bright flash blinded Syd for a moment and then, it began to fade. A dark room came into view. When she turned around, the little girl was gone and she was alone. She walked around the room and spotted Peanuts and a few other things that belonged to her in the past. She looked at the framed pictures in the walls of the room. Every single one of them contained a picture of her when she was little. One picture in particular caught her eye._

_It was a picture of her and a boy. This was the same boy that appeared in her dreams and who's ghost haunted her every night in her sleep. She grabbed a locked made out of steel and put it in her palm. She made it a fist and in a few seconds, her hand was completely covered by a thin layer of steel._

"_I don't think that this is going to last very long but I need to give it a shot. Who would have thought that my powers are also weak in dream land?" She punched the glass of the frame with her fist. The steel disappeared and her hand was now a bloody mess. She groaned and took the picture out with her clean hand. She turned it and read the names out loud._

"_Sydney and Sky." She gasped as she heard a blast coming through the locked door. The emperor came in and ordered his troops to move in. His eyes lit up as he looked around the room. She stood before him, frozen, which was weird for her to do since she had never feared him before. _

"_Take her clothes and her furniture. Leave the rest here, I don't want for anything to remind her of home." The Krybots nodded and started to move her stuff out. Once Grumm was left alone, he started to whistle a tune that would make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up. _

_She heard a cough coming from inside the closet and closed her eyes because she knew that the worst was yet to come. Grumm walked over to the hiding spot and opened the door very slowly. Syd stood behind him and could see Sky and her younger self hiding there. Both of them came out of the closet._

_The young boy stood in front of the girl and covered her. He put his brave face on and stared at Grumm. The skeleton chuckled, he had to admire the boy, he had to have guts to stand up to him. "Take me, not her."_

"_I'm afraid my plans are meant for her, not for you." He whistled and a pair of Krybots burst into the room and separated Sky from Syd. The little girl stood in front of him. She was scared but she couldn't show it. She had to be brave for everyone. Grumm took her hand and his eyes lit up again, glowing a bright red. In a blinding flash if light, he, Syd and the Krybots were gone._

Sydney gasped and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was still blurry and she couldn't speak. She saw a familiar face sitting besides her. It was Sky. He was holding her hand and stroking her hair.

"Welcome back." She looked at her hand. It was already covered up by gauze. She stared at him and cleared her throat.

"Thank you. I'm sorry about Dru, I know he is your friend. I should have never gotten in the way. I thought that he was different but he's just like the rest of us." Kat entered the room and put her bed into a sitting position. He shook his head and held both of her hands.

"You are not like them, Syd. Its not your fault, you can't blame yourself for things that you are not responsible for." She scoffed and laughed. He raised an eyebrow in question while Kat checked her medical chart.

"Now I have my own cheerleader. I just hope that you don't start making rhymes because I will kill you." He laughed and this brought a smile to her face. He was so beautiful to her when he smiled or laughed, which was rare for him to do.

"Are you always this sarcastic?" The girl laying in the bed smiled and began laughing. Sky couldn't help but to do the same. She shook her head with a mischievous grin.

"No, sometimes I'm even more sarcastic." Sky laughed again. She stared at him. She thought about how beautiful he looked when he let his real self show. "You should do that more often, you know? Smile and laugh, I mean."

"Maybe now I will. I had no reason to do so, but know that I found you, everything will be better." Syd's face turned a bright red. She was still trying to figure out why he was being so nice to her. She knew that they had been childhood friends but after everything she had done, she thought that she deserved no pardon.

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to cue the Barry Manilow music?" Her smile faded when Z, Jack and Bridge came into the room. She was surprised that he was not letting go of her hand. He wanted for them to know that she was good.

"Sky, may I ask what you're doing?" The Green Ranger asked. Syd insisted that he let go of her hand, but he never did. He stood up and glared at the shorter man.

"I'm talking to Syd." Bridge's jaw dropped and looked at the girl from head to toe. "Yes, Bridge, she's real. DNA confirms it."

"It's a long story. It would be better if I told it once we are all happy and friendly with each other, right Sky?" She said in an attempt to lighten the mood in the room. Z shot a glare at her and she shrugged. "OK, I will just shut up now."

Sky went out to the hallway with the rest of the team. He sighed and leaned against a wall. His eyes focused solely on Jack. "She's not who we thought she was. She's different from Grumm and from Broodwing."

"And how would you know that?" The yellow Ranger questioned with a hasty tone of voice. She huffed when he did not manage to give her a quick answer. She started to walk away to her room along with the other Rangers.

Sky ran after them and stopped them in front of the Command Center. His chest tightened and he balled his hands into fists. He looked down at the floor. "Because I know her since she was a kid. She was my best friend. And just for the record, her name is not Rogue, it's Sydney."

The Commander stared at him when he walked out. The alien stood besides the Cadet. The four B-Squad Cadets saluted him.

"He's right, Cadets. Miss Drew, or Rogue, has special abilities. In her case, she can transform her hands into any material she touches. The reason why we have brought her to our medical wing instead of a hospital is because of her family." He paused for a second. "Her parents were one of the many founders of SPD and I know her since she was a little girl."

"What exactly made Syd turn to Rogue?" The Blue Ranger and the Commander looked at themselves. Apart from the Black Crystal, they had nothing to go on. Suddenly, they heard a clicking of heels behind them. When they turned, Syd was standing there.

She was now wearing a knee-length black dress and lacy tights. Her high heels clicked against the floor as she approached them. "I can answer that."

"When I was seven, I only thought about ponies and dolls. I never really thought about the powers I have or that someone would harm me for having them." She paused and bit her lower lip. "I still remember that day and I know Sky does too." They both smiled at the memory of them playing in the garden.

"He and his parents came over to my place to stay for the weekend. We loved playing together when we were kids. We would always pretend that he was the Red Ranger, just like his father, and that I was the Pink Ranger, just like my mom. We would spend the whole afternoon inventing new missions. But when the night came, so did the darkness." Her body trembled as she recalled the memory of the night when everything was taken away from her. "I was laying down on my bed, I had this feeling that something bad was about to happen. And all of a sudden, I heard a loud banging in the kitchen and then footsteps on the stairs. My mom entered my room and told me to hide in the closet with Sky and so we did."

She paused again and stopped the tears that threatened to fall. She had to be strong and hold it in. "Then he came into my room and started looking for me. I saw the Krybots taking some of my stuff and carrying it to someplace else. I coughed by accident and he opened the door. He got Sky out of the way and got to me."

"I'm sorry, this wouldn't have happened if I had been stronger." The blond girl shook her head. And put a finger to his lips.

"Don't beat yourself over this. It's not your fault. You would have gotten killed if you had tried to fight him." He embraced her warmly. She placed her head on his chest and then pulled away a bit.

"Once we got to the ship, a girl in her early 20's greeted me in a not so friendly manner. She laughed at me and that's not the worst. She undid the back of my robe and branded me like an animal. I can still remember the pain. I tried to be strong but I passed out." She fell into his arms and began crying. Kat hugged the young girl and comforted her.

"Thank you. I'm better now." She stepped back a bit and smiled. "If you want to arrest me, like you did with Drew, it's fine. I deserve it. I've done terrible things and I am truly sorry. I really am."

"We can't arrest you. You're not responsible for anything that's happened. Grumm is." The yellow Ranger stepped forward and held her hands. "I'm Z, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, you can call me Syd. Its nice to finally meet another girl that's not Mora, she was starting to get on my nerves. And speaking about her, I owe her a batch of cookies. Oh well, guess she will have to wait until Grumm gets me back."

"What are you talking about? You are not going back there again." Bridge was the one who spoke this time. "If Grumm gets to you again, it will be the same story all over again. You get captured, you get drugged with BC, we try to save you and the cycle repeats and the story...."

The other three rangers cleared their throats loudly. "I'm Bridge Carson, sorry." She laughed and shook his gloved hand.

"Freaky dude that rambles is named Bridge. Got it!" The blond girl put two thumbs up and the Red Ranger approached her.

"It's finally nice to meet the Pink Ranger of our team. I'm Jack Landors and this..." He handed her a morpher and shook her hand. "is yours."

"Thank you, wow!" She observed it and grinned. "I have never really had the chance to be part of anything. Thank you, Jack. I'm glad that you are giving me a chance. I won't let any of you down, I promise." She held the object in her hands and observed it cautiously. "Why are you giving me this, after everything I've done, I deserve nothing but jail time."

"You were destined to have it. Besides, you were under the influence of a powerful substance. And also under Grumm's influence. You did not ask for any of this." He paused and approached her. "We all agree that you are a part of the team and its the only way we can keep you safe."

"Well, this certainly beats locking me up in a tiny cell." She hugged Jack, which made a little jealous. "You know what they say: 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade'. I will take whatever I can get."

The four Rangers smiled and took her by the hand. Jack, Bridge and Z started showing her around the Academy while Sky explained the use of each room. When the tour was done, the others left the Blue Ranger and the Yellow Ranger alone with her.

Sky stopped in front of a metallic door. The blond turned her head to the side and wandered as to what that place was. Z stepped in front of her and opened the door. She smiled as she look around. She saw Z's bed on the left and an empty one at her right.

"I hope you don't mind but we will be sharing a room." She shook her head and looked around. The room wasn't big or fancy but it was cozy and most importantly, she was sharing it with a friend. She laughed as she saw the other girl's things thrown all over the place.

"No, I don't mind at all. Grumm would have killed me if I had left my room like this. I'm way too organized and my things are always in order. But, variety is the spice of life, right?" She shrugged and sat on her bed.

"Yeah, exactly." They both laughed and grinned at their jokes. They would have never thought that they would get along so well. Both were just so different. The Pink Ranger stood up and walked to Sky.

The Yellow Ranger took this as her cue to leave the room. As the door opened, she waved and winked at her. "Goodbye, lovebirds."

"When is Commander Cruger going to tell my parents about me?" He did not have an answer but he was sure that it would be sometime soon. "They didn't forget about me, did they?"

"No, they never stopped searching for you. They gave up after five years. They never thought you were dead, just that you were missing. When my father died..." She hugged him and looked up at him.

"Uncle Wes died? When?" He sat down next to her, she pulled him into her arms and stroked his hair. His hot breath made contact with her cold skin. She sighed softly and looked him in the eye.

"When I was 12, he died in battle. Mom and I miss him so much." She tried to understand his pain. When she was taken, she lost everything that meant something to her. But now, she had gotten it back. Sky, her parents and her life. The scars may remain, but the pain was now gone. She couldn't feel what Sky's was feeling because she hadn't really lost anything. But in Sky's case, his father would never come back.

"I'm sorry for your loss." She held him in her arms. She began crying. Sky embraced her and stroked her golden hair. She sniffled and locked gazes with him. The blue Ranger leaned and softly kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Syd." He muttered as he exited the room. The girl was left alone in her room to think. She smiled to herself and touched her cheek. She grinned and squealed because the love of her life had just kissed her. It was not a super romantic kiss like the ones in the movies but a softer one and it would for now.


	13. Pink, Blue and Ego Skeleto

**Chapter 13- Pink, Blue and Ego Skeleto.**

When Z came inside her room, she found a blushing and squealing Sydney sitting on her bed. She grinned and sat down on her own bed wondering as to why her new team member was as red as an apple.

"Let me guess, prince charming just kissed you." Z commented as she bit down on a chocolate she had gotten from the food synthesizer at the Rec Room.

"No." Syd replied simply.

"So, why are you blushing then?"

The blonde put her hands to her face and felt strange warmth travelling through them. She had never blushed before, especially not because of a guy. Sure, she had feelings for Drew in the past, but never quite like the ones she was experiencing for the Blue Ranger.

And after the alien had shot at her, everything she once felt for him, vanished like smoke. Besides, his true form scared her more than she thought it would. It wasn't only that, of course, but also the sudden changes in his mood.

"Ok, he kissed me on the cheek. It was nothing, really, just a simple 'we're friends' kiss." Z rolled her eyes. No one, not even the guys, would believe her we're friends excuse. The Yellow Ranger could tell they felt something for each other.

"Yeah, sure."

Syd smiled at her and looked in her closet. She had nothing to change to, apparently, nothing but her uniform. She stared at Z's side for a moment and shook her head. Their styles were just too different. "I'm going out for a bit, I need some time to think."

Without another word, the blond left her new room and travelled down the hallway. She had no idea of where she was going but she didn't care, she just needed to be left alone for a while. She wandered around the halls for about fifteen minutes until she found the door to go to the roof.

When she got to her destination, she sighed and looked around. It was exactly what she expected: lonely, dark and just all around perfect for her and her thoughts.

The roof was nothing but a big empty space with railing surrounding it. She walked to the edge and leaned against the railing. The image before her eyes amazed her. From the place she was standing in, she could see all of NewTech, everything from its tallest and most expensive buildings to the downtown slums where Piggy currently resided.

She had never seen anything like this. The city lights below were too bright, blinding and beautiful. From her point of view, the lights were like stars shining all over the city, just like they did in space. They were NewTech's shining stars.

"What are you thinking about?" A male voice asked her from behind. She smiled when she heard the door close and his footsteps approaching.

"Lights and stars." She responded honestly. She was, after all, thinking about them.

"Interesting, anything else on your mind?" He questioned. She shrugged and turned her gaze back to his. When her blue eyes met his, she was just mesmerized.

"A lot of things are on my mind, actually. I was just thinking about Drew, Grumm and most importantly, about myself." She closed her eyes and turned her gaze back to the city. She put her hands on the metal railing and watched as her hands turned to the material. "Its official, I'm buying leather gloves."

He smiled at that. "That seems to happen when you're nervous or scared." He paused for a second as her gaze met his once again. "Are you nervous?"

She hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "I'm nervous about seeing my parents again, about not fitting in, about not adapting well and especially about Grumm."

"You don't need to worry about that sack of bones; we won't let him get close to you." He took her hand in his nervously. He fixed his eyes on hers for a few minutes. "Trust me."

"I trust you." She smiled and bit her lower lip. "I'm also very nervous about me. I'm still wondering about who I really am, I mean, I've spent most of my life believing I'm this evil, heartless weapon and it turns out I'm not."

"Aren't you glad that stage of your life is over?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She paused for a moment and giggled. "I'm just going to miss the part where I get to kick your butt in battle."

"You didn't kick my butt." He said with an amused smile.

She placed a finger on her chin and giggled. "I remember seeing you falling on your back. If that's not kicking your ass, then what is?"

"You were the one who fell, not me."

"You have a very good memory."

"I never forget a pretty face after fighting with her." She giggled again and blushed brightly. She bit her lower lip nervously and gasped softly when his mouth came close to hers. She closed her eyes and moved away when she heard the door opening.

"Syd, its time for bed.I know it sounds silly but cadets have curfew here at SPD." She sighed sadly and waved goodbye to Sky. The Blue Ranger let go of her hand and waved back. He turned towards the direction of the city and thought about his old friend for a few minutes. A part of his being was glad that Z had interrupted the kiss. As much as he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to waited a bit longer, he wanted the kiss to mean something to her and to him.

The Terror

Ten year old Mora sat in her room, just drawing a picture of her next monster while Emperor Grumm and big old Broodwing discussed their next scheme. Discussing was an understatement in this case, she thought, it was more of a really heated argument between a skeleton with ego problems and a, err, whatever Broodwing was supposed to be. He had ego problems with his ego too. She knew that two big egos in a room could cause a lot of problems.

She immediately thought of a bomb going off and killing both Grumm and Broodwing, shutting them up for eternity. That was a nice thought, clever too. She grinned to herself and giggled. She tore out her drawing from her notebook and began sketching her next creation. This had had to be the most brilliant idea she had ever come up with.

She continued drawing until she was almost done with the outline until Grumm entered her room out of the blue. She jumped a bit when he entered and stared at him. Broodwing walked inside after Grumm. The skeleton looked dwona t her and smiled.

"Your idea is very clever indeed, Broodwing." Grumm said proudly while walking over to where the girl sat. She closed her notebook and smiled innocently. "What were you drawing there?"

"Oh nothing, just sketches of aliens." She lied and batted her eyelashes, trying to get an idea of what her boss was planning.

"We have special plans for you, Mora." Broodwing sneered at the girl, she stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms. The alien just laughed.

"What kinds of plans?" She inquired nervously, her voice shaking.

"You'll see."

**SPD Base**

The newest female addition to the B-Squad grabbed a towel to clean her face. The Rangers had been running in the training course for a couple of hours already. They were dirty, tired and hungry. It was nothing she couldn't handle, after all, this was nothing compared to what Grumm had made her go through in her pre-Rogue face.

She wiped her face and smiled at the others, who were doing the same thing. "There's nothing like a relaxing run in the mud to start your day, huh?"

"If that's what you call relaxing, I'll make you run again." Jack retorted as he plopped down on a dry patch of grass.

"This is nothing compared to my training with Mr. Ego Skeleto. You wouldn't have lasted a day there." Syd replied casually, sitting down beside Sky. The Blue Ranger smiled and laughed at her comment.

"Mr. Ego Skeleto?" He teased. She replied by nodding proudly. "I thought you had nothing but respect for Grumm, Rogue."

"He has the biggest ego in the universe, seriously. He's too full of himself to acknowledge anyone else's feelings." She punched his arm and grinned. "Call me Rogue again, I'd really like that. Maybe if you do, I'll get to punch you harder."

"Ok, sorry, no need to get violent. I promise I won't call you that again."

"Ok, I'll take your word." She giggled and smiled. Sky stood up and saluted when Commander Cruger appeared in front of them. The Pink Ranger had to get used to saluting the Commander. She mimicked her Squad's way of doing it and smiled.

"Miss Drew, I see you have completed the training course faster than any of your team members." Cruger commented as he read the time chart. Sky was amazed by how quickly she had done it; no one had ever beaten him before.

"It was no big deal. I have no idea why they make such a big deal over a little mud and lasers. I just ran while they complained."

"That's not why I'm here." He said a little more serious this time. "Doctor Manx contacted your parents, Miss Drew. They were very happy when they received the news about you. They will arrive in a couple of hours. I'll give you the rest of the day off, I'm sure there's a lot you want to tell them. Mr. Tate, your mother will be here too."

The Commander left the cadets. Syd turned to Sky and then at the floor. Her parents were coming. Before, when she was a little girl, she longed and dreamed to see her mom and dad again, but now, it was a reality. She was going to meet her parents again, after what seemed like an eternity. She was going to where she really belonged.

She grinned at Sky and hugged him out of the blue. Sky stayed still for a few moments, not sure of what to do. Sky put his arms around her after a few seconds and stroked her hair. "Thank you." She replied quietly. "For everything."


	14. Family Portrait

_**Author's Note: **__Hello again to all my lovely fans! You have all been so great and also very patient with me. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and I'd especially like to thank BellaVision. She has given me a new idea for a story we will do together in the near future, and don't worry that means it will be sooner than you expect. She has encouraged step out of my comfort zone and to try new things. _

_I don't have the title yet but I promise the story will be to your liking. It will open new doors since it's my first story featuring Tommy, Kim, Tori and Blake and its also the first time that I will create a new team of Rangers. So yes, I'm excited but also a bit nervous. _

**Chapter 14- Family Portrait**

Sydney Drew, formerly known as the villain Rogue, sat in her room after receiving some shocking news from Commander Kruger. The day had started out oddly well. She had beaten the record that her teammate had set, meaning she was the fastest cadet in her group. Sky had been jealous at first, but it soon washed away.

"_Your parents will be here in a couple of hours."_ Sydney recalled in her mind.

She had felt numb all over after receiving the news, almost as if someone had thrown her into a pool full of ice, making her unable to speak or express her happiness. But she was not happy, she was ecstatic. She had longed for this moment since she found out the truth of who she really was.

But seeing her parents again also made her feel nervous. She came up with every possible worst-case scenario in her mind. Maybe she was just being negative or paranoid, or both since it had been so long since she'd last seen them. It hurt to think that her parents may not love her after finding out all the things that she did when she was working on Grumm's side. Or maybe they would understand that all those things weren't her fault.

Still, she wasn't about to dive into the very positive end of something she had absolutely no idea of. Because doing that would be like jumping into the sea to go scuba diving without the necessary gear.

The alarm in her morpher made her swim back to reality. She looked at the clock that hung in her wall, it was 10:30. Thirty minutes had passed since Commander Cruger gave her the news and the only thing she had done since then was to take a shower.

She stood up from her bed and made her way back to the girls' bathroom. She shut the door behind her and began making herself presentable. She had never cared about how she looked before. The only look the skeleton allowed her to have was the scary look. And scary wasn't the look she wanted her parents to see her in and so she decided to go in a very different direction in terms of hair and makeup.

She was done just a few minutes before her time was up. She made her way down the stairs in her new dress and high heels she had bought recently. When Sky saw her, he managed to smile a bit. In his eyes, she looked like an angel with no halo or wings.

She giggled when she the Blue Ranger, he was still wearing his uniform. She shook her head and made her away to where he was standing.

"What's so funny?" He said, trying to hide a grin of his own.

"The Commander gave us the day off, Sky. You could at least take that to the dry cleaners. I know you love SPD but you don't have to express it by wearing _this_" She pointed to the uniform. "every single day."

"I could say the same thing about you."

"Huh?"

"Well, you always wear dresses." She nodded, knowing that Sky had a pretty good point. "_That's_ your uniform, _this_ is mine."

"Ok, you got me. I love dresses just as you love this. There's nothing wrong with a guy being proud of where he works." She paused for a second and then bit her lower lip. "But it would be nice to see you in something different sometime."

The subway came to a halt. From the outside, Syd could make out her parents' faces from the rest. It was incredible she still remembered after such a long time. The Black Crystal, the drug Grumm had used on her, hadn't erased all her memories. She sighed and gripped Sky's hand with her own.

When the doors of the subway opened, Syd sighed and slowly let go of Sky's hand. The petite girl made her way through the crowd when her parents came out. The tall male was just right behind her, following every step she took.

The Pink and the Blue Rangers' faces were shielded by a big crowd. But it didn't last for long; the people began walking away after a couple of minutes. She stared at her parents in disbelief. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

She took one more step and stood in front of them, a big grin on her face. "Mom? Dad?"

Carter and Dana stared at her for a few seconds, suddenly throwing their luggage to the floor. Her father was the first to run up and hug her. She felt a strange warmth when he did. It was something she hadn't felt for so long. Her mother ran up to her and held Syd's face in her hands. She kissed her cheek and held her daughter in her arms for a few minutes.

"Dana, you're going to leave our daughter without oxygen." The former Red Ranger pleaded to her wife.

"I'm sorry." She smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm so happy to see you. We are very sorry that we couldn't find you any sooner."

"Mom, its ok." Syd grinned, it was long since she had said that word to anyone. It felt good. "You couldn't have done anything. I was not being myself and then I began remembering some things that led me here."

"Let's not dwell on the past, Syd." Her father embraced her and then let go. Then she saw something that made her heart melt. Sky was hugging a woman, most likely her mother. Sky's mother took one look at her and hugged her.

"I hope my son has been taking good care of you." Syd giggled and nodded.

"Yes, Aunt Jen. But I still have a problem. I can't get him to take that uniform off." Sky glared at her and she just shrugged. "I guess you can get the boy out of the Academy but you can't get the Academy out of the boy."

"He gets that stubbornness from me. I'll make sure he buys some clothes." Jen hugged Syd and parted ways after a couple of minutes. The former Time Force Ranger went out to have lunch with Sky to give Sydney a few hours with her parents.

And without another word, Dana, Carter and Sydney went up the stairs. Sydney looked around for a place they could talk privately without being interrupted. The Rec Room was empty since it was Saturday and most cadets went out on the afternoons. She sat down on the couch and her parents sat in a pair of chairs in front of her.

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "You must have seen me in the news. Sky told me that they aired some footage of me, or Rogue or whatever, fighting against the Rangers."

"We did see the footage. They way you fought against them was amazing, you seemed to have years of training." Carter cleared his throat and continued. "When I first saw you, I thought you looked like Dana so much. At first, I thought it was only a coincidence that a human was working for Grumm. But then, when we received that call, we just knew it was you. It had to be you."

"Well, it wasn't exactly me who fought against the Rangers. It was me but I was under the influence of Grumm's manipulation and of something much stronger than that." She responded, trying to stay calm. Talking about what the skeleton had done to her was not easy.

"I wasn't being myself at the time. I had no idea of what I was doing. I just wish it hadn't taken me this long to figure out who I really was, or am at the moment."

"We know it wasn't you." Her mother stared at her and then stood up. She sat down besides her daughter and held her hand. The strange warmth washed all over Syd's body again.

"I'm so glad to see you. You have no idea of how long I had to wait to see your faces again." The Pink Ranger answered with a tear-filled voice. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, letting a few tears roll down her eyes. She felt so weird, though, she had never cried because she was happy. She usually cried when she was angry, hurt or sad.

Crying because she was happy was an unfamiliar feeling for her. Her mother asked if something was wrong, but she simply shook her head and hugged her mother. A wave of relief washed all over her. And she realized this was the first time she had ever been truly happy in her new life.

After a few hours of just sitting, eating and talking with her parents in the quiet of the Rec Room, the halls began to fill with cadets again. And a few minutes after Syd hugged her mom and goodbye, Sky burst through the doors, looking for her.

"'Sup, Syd?" Sydney giggled and pinched herself to make sure she was hearing what she thought had come out of Sky's mouth.

"I'm not acknowledging that." She answered with a grin on her face.

"Jack, Bridge and Z said it would blow your mind away." She giggled again. This was the first time she had ever heard Sky agreeing with his team.

"Consider my mind blown. Then put back together and blown again."

"I thought chicks digged when guys talked like that." She shook her head and sat down.

"In the past century maybe." She stood up and put her hand in his. "In this century, I like guys just like you. You don't need to act like that around me. I like you just the way you are. Is that cheesy?"

"Very," He laughed just as the other Rangers entered the room. "But, I knew you had a soft center."

Z gagged behind them and mimicked their moves. "Oh Sky, I love it when you laugh!" The Pink Ranger crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Did you brainwash him?" Bridge asked, reading his aura just to make sure that it was team mate in front of him.

"No, my charm's all natural." She responded simply and took her hand away from Sky's grip.

"Well, you know what they say: There is always a first time for everything." Jack told them.

"Oh, trust me, this day has been full of first times, all right." Syd sat down and stifled a yawn. She was a bit tired after all the emotions she had experienced today. "I'm off to sleep, guys.

And just as she was about to walk away, the alarms around the base went off. She groaned and ran to the Command Center as fast as she could. She took her heels off to pick up speed. She caught her breath just before she entered. She rolled her eyes, of course her squad was already there.

She stood besides them, trying to look normal. She hid her heels behind her back and stood barefoot besides Sky, who compared to her, was a giant.

"Miss Drew, may I ask why you are barefoot?" Cruger asked as he looked at her bare feet and manicured toes.

"Would it help if I said that an alien devoured my heels?" She threw the heels to the farthest wall and shrugged. The other Rangers laughed and she added this as an other first time to her list.

Cruger growled and shook his head. "Well, we have other things to deal with besides heel-devouring aliens. There's a disturbance at the park. All of you suit up and go check it out."

Jack, Sky Bridge and Z stretched their arm forward and all said the same phrase before transforming to their Ranger suits. Syd took out her morpher and had no idea of what to do.

"Speaking of first times." She muttered to herself and observed it again trying to figure out a way to activate her suit.


	15. There is always a first time

_**Author's Note: **__Two chapters in a row. I'm on a mission here! I want to finish this story before summer ends. It's not because I want to finish the story, on the contrary, it could go on forever for me but I'm ready to try new things when it comes to writing._

**Chapter 15- There is always a first time for everything.**

Five minutes ago, Syd was just going to bed when the alarm sounded throughout the whole SPD Base. She just wished that Grumm would just stop sending monsters so she could sleep. And just a minute ago, her team had all transformed to their Ranger suits. She had already clicked on every button on the device and nothing had happened yet.

Syd sighed and cleared her throat to get the attention she definitely needed at the moment. Not only did she need attention, but help too.

When they heard her, the Blue Ranger rushed over to her side and lowered the black visor on his helmet, exposing his blue eyes and perfect pink lips. He smiled at the naïve girl as he took out his morpher.

"Stretch your arm like this." Sky instructed, stretching his arm out, the morpher closed in his hand. "And then simply click on the right button and say 'SPD Emergency!'"

The petite girl nodded and did just that. When nothing happened for a few seconds, she immediately thought the morpher was rejecting her. Suddenly, a bright light began to engulf her and all of her previous fears washed away from her body.

Once the transformation was done, she felt powerful and excited, not tired like she had been just a few minutes ago. She stared at her hands through the black visor of the pink helmet she was now wearing. She lowered her visor and grinned at Sky.

"I'm pink, just like my mom." She announced with a triumphant expression plastered all over her face.

"We have to go, Syd, we'll celebrate later." Sky commanded as he went out the door. The Pink Ranger followed behind him, closing her visor as she ran through the halls of the base she called home.

Once at the park, the Rangers began looking around for any signs of disturbance. A flash of purple caught Syd's eye. She made a signal so the team would follow her lead. They all crept through the grass, trying not to make any noise because even the tiniest one would blow their cover.

When she saw who was causing the disturbance, she almost fell backwards but she managed to steady herself before it actually happened. The Rangers became aware of this. She couldn't believe she was seeing, the figure before her had been gone for so long and then she was here. Grumm knew exactly how to give low blows to her already damaged heart.

She shook her head and began to go walk back silently, all by herself. The other four stayed in their positions. Syd stood behind a tall tree and swallowed hard. This was bound to happen sometime and she knew it. She would have to face off against one of her biggest enemies sometime. And this was definitely it. She knew she was physically prepared but not mentally. To defeat this foe, she had to be prepared in both ways.

She finally stepped out of hiding and made her way back to the team. She crouched besides Z and stared intently at the scene before her. Her skin got goose bumps all over, though she was still wearing her Ranger suit, as the figure got closer.

Closer and closer it walked to them. The Red Ranger signaled the team to spread out when the figure was just a few steps away. They nodded and ran to position themselves in the middle of a small clearing. They all got into a fighting stance, including their newest addition to the team.

The Pink Ranger gasped when the figure stepped in front of her. She lowered her visor and shot a glare at the person before her. The figure snickered before removing its cloak. To the other four Rangers, it was a surprise, the creature was a human. She was tall, brunette and she had a strange thunder symbol drawn under her eye.

"I can't believe you're serious." The girl grinned as she approached them. "It's like looking at a porn star in a nun's habit."

"I could say the same thing about you. You could easily pass for a nun with that dress." Syd retorted. They both walked closer and glared at each other. "But then again, you could never be a nun."

"Yeah, why is that? Is it because I was such a meanie to you when you were little?" She cackled in the Pink Ranger's face and grinned wickedly at her. "Or because of the terrible thing I did to you?"

"You see, Morgana, there's this thing called redemption and you made it very clear that you didn't want any a long time ago." She hissed and flared her nostrils when the brunette mentioned 'the-terrible-thing.'

"You know her?" Z spat out and she wasn't very happy by the looks of it.

"Know her?" Morgana asked with a grin on her face. "We are practically family, little miss Sydney and I go way back. I still remember how much fun we had when you were growing up."

Syd gritted her teeth and groaned at her. "Shut up before I do something that I might or might not regret!"

"You really don't want to show your new friends what you're really capable of, do you sunshine?" She said, referring to the last time Syd had gotten pissed at her. She had stunned Morgana, or Mora, with one of her blasts. The blast had paralyzed Mora for a few minutes and had caused Syd to faint.

"Call me sunshine again, I'd really like that." Sydney snapped and stepped back a bit, her eyes still focused on the brunette. "If you call that fun, you have the definition seriously twisted. You were the one who had all the fun while I was the one who suffered."

"How about we play a game for old time's sake?" Morgana taunted as she stepped closer. "No fancy suits allowed, of course."

"Fine, I can take you with or without my Ranger suit." Syd powered down and handed her morpher to Z. Sky lowered his visor and grabbed her by the arms.

"What do you think you're doing? We have rules and we're a team. You can't do whatever you like out here!" Sky stated angrily.

"We're a team?" The Pink Ranger snorted. "It's the first time you have said that, as I recall, you didn't like your teammates because you though they were not good enough."

Z, Jack and Bridge shot both of them a glare. "That was before I got to know them. I trust them completely. All of them would go into a burning building and rescue me. And if you were in that situation, they would the same thing for you."

"I know they would, Sky. But she," The petite pointed to Morgana "ruined my life. I will never get back what she took. You have to understand that this is the only way I can cope with everything she did to me. This is my chance, Sky! Please!"

"Boo-hoo! You are boring me to death here. Can we please save this conversation for another time? I'm not getting any younger." The brunette villain announced from behind them, leaning against a tree. She aimed her weapon at both of them and a blast of energy made them fall backwards. The shot landed on Sky's chest, which caused him to power down.

"Go get her Syd." Sky groaned while the other helped him stand up. The blond smiled and moved closer. The brunette grinned and aimed her weapon at her. The Ranger shook her head and began making a small blast of energy in her hands.

"I can play that game too." Sydney grinned and got closer to the brunette. When Morgana shot her blast and so did Syd. Both of them collided and made a mini explosion that sent both girls down to the floor.

"When you play fire with fire, you get burned. Didn't mommy teach you that?" The villain put her index finger on her chin and giggled at her own joke. "Oh, that's right. You never had a mommy to teach you anything."

"I'm surprised at how you still manage to make bad jokes when you're down on the floor." They both groaned as they tried to stand up. The sudden burst of energy had gotten both of them a bit shaky and weak. Syd stood up first, glaring down at the brunette. To the villian's amazement, she just stood there until she steadied herself to a standing position.

"You didn't kill me, why?"

"Because I'm not like you. That's where you and I differ." She told her as she began to walk away. "And of course, I'm prettier than you and younger, too."

Morgana just glared at her and collapsed on the floor. The four Rangers powered down and stared at her in disbelief. Their newest addition walked towards them. Syd wiped off some blood from her lip and stared at them.

"You two have quite a history." Bridge smiled at her. "I see you don't get along too well."

"Not get along is an understatement, Bridge. I'm USA and she's Russia. We were constantly fighting with each other. Some of those fights got pretty intense. Including the one she mentioned. It was not one of my best moments."

"What happened?" Z asked, putting a hand on the petite's shoulder. She sighed and sat down. Syd told them the story about the day she had accidentally paralyzed Mora with one of her energy blasts and how she had fainted after doing so.

"When I woke up, I had no idea of what had happened until Mora told me. I had never experienced something like that before." She paused and cleared her throat. "It just got me thinking that there may be something dark inside me, much more darker than Rogue or Grumm himself and its just waiting for an opportunity to come out again and take control of my body."

"We won't let that happen to you, Sydney. We're here for you." Sky took hold of her shaky hands and smiled at her.

"There is nothing you can do to stop this. The darkness will take over my body eventually. It's been bound to happen ever since Morgana put that stupid brand on my back." She crossed her arms and switched her gazed to a nearby pond.

"It's not just a mark that resembles darkness. It is darkness itself." She couldn't even look at her new friends now. Somehow, not looking at them made it a bit easier for her. It wouldn't be as hard for her when it took over. "I feel it every time I get upset. Its like something comes over me, slowly taking away every human emotion and replacing with anger and rage. And it kills me not knowing how to control it."

Sky took the girl in his arms and stroked her blonde hair, trying to make her feel better. Sky rubbed her back, making small circles. Bridge, Z and Jack smiled at them and made hearts with their hands.

"I think I'm better now."

"Let's go rest. Trust me; you'll need it after that show you gave us today. Kruger will probably put you on window cleaning duty or maybe you can clean the fountain at the entrance. I saw a lot of bird poop with your name on it." Bridge spat out, grinning at her.

"I have to clean bird poop? " Her face shifted to one of discomfort. "Well, it can't be that bad. I cleaned Grumm's leather shoes when I did something wrong and let me tell you, they didn't smell like roses."

"That's nasty! You just gave me a mental image I'm not going to be able to get out of my head for a while." Z snorted and covered her nose.

"And what exactly did they smell like?" Z punched Jack's shoulder and mouthed an _'I don't want to know' _look.

"They smelled death and hard work." Sky grinned as they walked back into the halls of the Academy. She grinned at her new friends and waved good night.

"Miss Drew, what were you thinking?" The Commander came walking down the hall, stopping her in her tracks. "You were immature, irresponsible, selfish… I could go on and on. We have rules here Miss Drew, and I suggest that if you're still going to be part of this team, you'll have to play this game my way."

"I'm sorry, Commander. My emotions got in the way, and you're right I was all those things and so much more. But I promise it won't happen again. And if you decide to give me a punishment, I won't hold it against you."

The Commander nodded and eased up a bit. "You're not afraid of getting your hands dirty, are you?"

"You're talking to the girl who cleaned out rats in Grumm's ship for 10 years. I'm ready for anything."

The big dog let out a dry laugh. "Very well then, be ready by 6:30 and meet me in the mud course at 7:00 am sharp. I'll give you 30 minutes for breakfast, you'll need it."

"I'll just look at this on the bright side. This is so much better than cleaning bird poop." She grinned and sighed when the Commander saluted her and left.


	16. Love, Actually

_**Author's not**__e: Here goes another chapter for you. And guess what? I'm going to turn Sydney into Rogue again! Not in this chapter, though. You will have to wait a bit more for that. _

_If you are a Rogue fan, go rejoice and jump up and down. And if you're not, well, just go curl up by the nearest corner and begin crying your eyes out because me likes evil Sydney. Three cheers for evil Syd! _

**Chapter 16- Love, Actually. **

Sydney awoke to a dark and foggy morning. The sun hadn't shown itself yet, and for that she was grateful. She would rather go for a run in the middle of a storm than when the sun was shining brightly over the city. She hated sunlight as much as she hated Grumm and Morgana.

She didn't hate it because it made her sweat. She was used to sweating. Unlike most girls, Syd dreaded going out in the sunlight so much, that she felt like a vampire sometimes. Most girls would have jumped at the chance to go out and get a tan, but not her.

Then again, Syd wasn't most girls.

Back when she lived with Grumm, sunny days were very rare. How could they not? She lived in a ship that traveled across various galaxies, and neither was sunny. But the planets in those galaxies were a bit too warm for her taste and much to her demise; she didn't have the privilege to ask for sunblock.

But temperatures didn't bother Grumm one bit. After all, he was just bones. He had no skin that the sun could burn. He would have gladly dragged the petite over a sea of lava if he would've gotten the chance.

It wasn't the sun itself that she hated. It was the effects that it had on her skin. Syd had learned that she had very sensible skin when she first set foot on the planet Sands. The planet was just that, sand everywhere with a very bright sun shining over her. She remembered that being one of her last training sessions.

Grumm had told her that she needed to learn how to fight on extreme environments. It was extreme, all right. By the hour, she was exhausted and her skin had begun to itch badly. The skeleton insisted that she had to complete three hours of training before she could return to the ship.

After the three hours were up, she had small blisters on her back and arms. The ones on her feet were the biggest. She remembered when Morgana volunteered to pop the blisters with a needle. Syd had cringed at the idea and gladly turned down Morgana's attempt to add even more pain to her body.

The pain she felt when she popped the first one was short. She thought it would be worse since she hated needles.

She stood in front of her mirror. She sported a pair of black jersey shorts and a pink sports bra underneath a light pink T-shirt with the SPD logo on it. Z had apparently made some modifications to it. She had cut the upper part of the left sleeve and a small chunk of the chest area. The shirt hung on Syd's shoulders, exposing part of her sports bra.

She wore black sneakers on her feet. She gathered her hair in a loose ponytail, pinning back any loose strands. She smiled at herself and walked out the door after leaving a note for her room mate on the table in the middle of their room.

She entered the cafeteria and went straight to the food synthesizer in the corner of the room. She pushed a few buttons and waited for her cereal to materialize. As she waited, she heard a loud growl from the other side of the other room. She quickly turned around and slowly walked to the other side. She made fists with her hands as the growling increased.

And suddenly, the growling ceased but the chirping of a bird began echoing in the room. She shook her head and thought her mind was playing tricks with her. That was until the growling slash chirping creature jumped out of the shadows and sent her to the floor. The thing sat on her and began licking her face. She opened her eyes and saw her mysterious attacker.

It was none another than RIC, the Robotic Interactive Canine that Doctor Manx had created. She giggled and sighed reluctantly. Syd yelped when RIC dropped a rubber ball on her face. She grabbed it only to toss it a few seconds later. She stood up and walked back to the synthesizer. She began eating after taking a seat in a small table. She grinned when RIC bumped into her leg in an attempt to get her attention. She looked down and gladly grabbed the ball from his mouth and tossed it once more.

A man a bit taller than her entered the room a few seconds later. He seemed agitated and out of breath. He had blond hair, brown eyes and he had a fuller figure than most cadets at SPD. He walked over to her table and patted RIC on the head.

"RIC, how many times have I told you not to run around the base while I'm sleeping?" He asked.

"It's ok. He makes good company." The girl in pink and black said with a smile.

"You have training with Cruger." He stated and held out his hand. "The name's Boom."

"Boom? As in boom goes the dynamite?" Syd felt a tinge of guilt when he looked down at the floor. She still had a bit of her mean streak. "I'm sorry. I'm Sydney as in Sydney, Australia."

Boom gasped and grinned. "You're the Pink Ranger?"

"Yeah, this is she." She shook his hand and grinned, too.

"It's really nice to meet you, Sydney. I see the pink SPD morpher is in good hands."

"Are you a Cadet, Boom?" She asked

"A cadet, me?" The guy snorted and took a bite out of her apple. "Do you not know who I am?"

The petite girl stayed quiet for a few moments, thinking about her answer. "Actually, no."

"That's fine. Most people ask me that question." He took another bite and swallowed it. "I'm just Kat's gadget tester. It may not sound like a big deal, but it is for me."

"I was nothing but Grumm's henchgirl before all this happened." She shrugged. "And now I turned to Cruger's training partner. It's my punishment."

"You'll do just fine. When he asks for 10 push-ups, be sure not to give up or fall. He'll make you start all over again."

"Time to boogie!" Syd stated as she stood up, realizing she had five minutes to get to the mud course or Cruger would flip at her for being late. Yet another thing she had to work on, punctuality, she thought.

Once at the training course, Syd wasn't surprised. It was just as she expected it to be, empty and desolate. It wasn't hard to find the Commander, who was standing by the small grassy clearing in front of the course.

Sydney cleared her throat so Cruger would turn around. She swore she could hear the dog humming under his breath. She stepped closer and coughed a bit louder in order to get his attention, he didn't turn around.

"I'm getting a very strong urge to poke your shoulder." As she stepped closer, she only heard humming, again. When she began to walk away, she suddenly felt something sharp against her spine. She closed her eyes and let out a sharp sigh.

"Lesson number one Miss Drew: Never turn your back on an enemy."

"I didn't come here to get schooled, Cruger." She began to turn around to face the Commander. "I came here to run."

"Who said anything about a run?" The dog began running towards the area with the highest concentration of mud in the whole course. She could feel her feet sinking in the mushy substance. She moved to the center of the large mud pool and felt the tip of the sword against her back.

"Lesson number two: Never walk straight into the lion's den without inspecting the area." Cruger scolded Sydney. She could still feel the tip of the sword against her back. She sighed when the touch of the cold blade disappeared. But the peace only lasted a few seconds. Now, Cruger stood in front of her, the tip of the sword against her stomach.

"What's lesson number 3, huh?" She became tense and began smiling nervously. Then, realization hit her, the Commander wouldn't hurt her with the sword, he was just trying to see how she would react under pressure. She wasn't about to give him the chance or the satisfaction of seeing her lose in battle. She gave him the tiniest hint of a smile.

When Sydney first kicked the sword out of his hands, he was stunned. She had just beaten him at his own game. He was glad the blond hadn't lost control like the other day. He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt his body hitting the mushy, wet ground.

"Lesson number three, never underestimate your opponent, no matter how small." She grinned and held the tip of the blade over his head. The fact that she knew how to handle a sword perfectly still amazed him. It took him years to learn how to handle it perfectly. But what he really wanted to know the most was at what age Grumm started teaching her about weapons such as his.

She must have been about twelve or thirteen years old when she held a blade for the first time in her hands. But with Grumm, he could never know. His evil knows no boundaries.

She held out her hand to help him up. He joined hands with the tiny girl, being careful not to put a lot of strength in his grip. "Who's the teacher now, Cruger?"

The big dog shook his head and now Syd was the one on facing the mud. She growled as she cleaned her hands and glared at him. "Lesson number four: Don't get cocky."

"Duly noted, professor. Are there anymore more lessons I should take note of?" She groaned as she tried to get rid of the mud covering her hands. It was of no use, it was all over her body now. Her legs, arms, hair and face were now covered in it. She was going to have to take a long bath afterwards.

"Ready for a sparring lesson, Miss Drew?"

"You sure know how to charm a girl, old dog." She grinned as she got up on her feet and assumed a fighting stance. Cruger let out a dry laugh and assumed an almost equal position. She cringed when he laughed. A laugh from him was as probable as snow in the desert.

"Ready?"

"I'm ready, old dog. If I can handle Grumm's army of ugly aliens and one seriously confused human girl, I can handle you with ease."

"Are you talking about Morgana or about yourself?" She glared at him and snorted.

"Very funny." Sydney giggled and approached him, ready to make the first move. She formulated a plan in her head to defeat him. She would start by breaking his defense, to make him vulnerable. The next step would consist of distracting him, which would be the hardest. And the third and final step would be to throw him to the ground, to defeat him.

Cruger held his swords and mock glared at her. She did the same before the Commander launched the first attack by swinging his sword, she dodged the attack and shook her head. She had barely gotten out of that one. She rolled on the ground and assumed a fighting stance. She decided that in order to win, she had to get rid of the sword like the last time.

She put her hands behind her back and made a small energy ball, just enough to make the heave figure move back and lose balance. Syd pointed to the ground before the god's feet and tossed the ball. As it made contact with the ground, the impact made the Commander fly a few meters away into a grassy patch.

She kicked the sword out of his hand and grinned. "Everything is fair in love and war, right?"

"Very good, Miss Drew. But not good enough." He staggered to his feet and kicked the sword out of her hands and catching it himself. He tossed it aside and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with her.

After thirty minutes of sparring, Syd was on the ground. She was now pinned to the ground by the sword after one of her kicks failed and her defense was broken. When the Commander put the sword away, she knew the sparring was over so she stood up. "That was a good lesson, Commander."

"I thought you'd hate me after this. Almost every cadet does."

"You're kidding, right?" She snorted. "This is one of the best sparring sessions I've ever had. Seriously, you are a very good opponent, Commander."

"I take it you're not used to losing." He stated while handing her a towel to clean her face. She took it and began wiping the mess of her hands first.

"Not really." She admitted sadly. "But I'll tell you something. I still remember my first day in a real battle. It was against the B-Squad. I got cocky because I never thought that they would be _that _good. My first thought was that they were just rookies trying to impress their boss so I decided to go after Sky. He seemed more of a challenge than Bridge. When I saw Sky, he seemed familiar somehow. I must have gotten distracted by my thoughts and ended up losing my first battle."

"In a way, they lost too."

She nodded because he was right. They lost their first and probably one of the most important battles. If Grumm hadn't sent her down to Earth to get the proton accelerator, she would have never met the Rangers or escaped. But on the other hand, Grumm wouldn't be winning if she hadn't come to Earth.

"Grumm underestimates you sometimes. But he worships your fighting skills, just don't tell him I told you that. He's too full of himself to admit it."

"I won't." He crossed his heart with his index finger as a promise to the cadet clad in pink. She nodded and grinned as they began walking back to the Academy.

"That is something you don't see everyday." Sydney heard someone snicker behind her back. When she turned she saw Sky leaning against a tree. He was wearing gym clothes and sneakers. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, get used to it because from now on, I will run in the mud course every morning." The Commander took that as his cue to leave.

"I'd love to see that."

"You're just bitter because I beat your record."

"I'm not jealous." He paused and gave her a mischievous smile. "How about a run? Whoever loses has to pay for dinner."

"Oh, how sweet!" She snorted and patted Sky's shoulder. "We haven't even started and you are already betting against yourself. "

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Don't get so cocky. You beat me once. It doesn't mean it will happen again."

"We will have to see about that, won't we?" The girl in pink started walking towards the mud course with the guy in blue following her. She smiled and counted backwards from three. When she said number one, both began running through the course.

Thirty minutes had passed since they had started running and Sky was winning by just a few steps. Sydney stopped for a few seconds to catch her breath. She put her hands on her knees and bowed her head, taking deep yoga breaths to regain some oxygen. She was already exhausted since she had already trained with Cruger in the morning.

Rain drops began prickling her scalp as she faced the ground. When she looked up, she saw that dark clouds had descended all over the city. It wouldn't be long until the heave rain came. She stretched her hands and lifted her head, closing her eyes so she could feel the rain.

The sensation felt amazing even if it was just a few drops. Syd grinned when the rain began to come down harder. She couldn't explain why she liked how it felt. It was simply one of the moments she could be herself.

"You ok, Syd?"

"Don't tell me you've been staring at me all this time, Sky." She crossed her arms and ran up to him. She shook her head and grinned. She began running, the Blue Ranger reached her.

Another thirty minutes had to pass until they finally reached the end of the course. At this point, both were exhausted, soaked to the bone and completely dirty. Once she recovered her breath, she grinned at Sky and began giggling.

"Looks like I owe you dinner." She said with a big grin on her face.

"You don't have to. I was just kidding when I said that, you know."

"So, does that mean you will buy me dinner?" She mock pouted and crossed her arms. "You can't resist this face."

"Fine, I'll buy you dinner." He grumbled even though he was happy that they would have the chance to be together in a less competitive environment. He smiled and walked closer to her. He took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. Syd smiled nervously and tensed up when she felt Sky's hands cupping her cheeks.

She felt a sense of alarm when Sky's soft lips touched hers but in a few seconds, the tension she felt in her body vanished. She closed her eyes and became lost in the sensation. She sighed when their lips parted and just stared at Sky, her lips still tingling.

She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. At first, she felt nothing. She pinched even harder and let out a small squeal. She definently wasn't dreaming. Her mouth tasted like mint; maybe Sky had planned this since he woke up this morning.

His scent still lingered on her skin. She sighed and somehow she managed to give him a small peck on the lips, proving her love for him. Sky grinned and stared at her for the longest time, not saying a word, just admiring her beauty.


	17. Ambush

_Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait! I've been extremely busy writing my short stories and studying that I haven't had any time to write at all. But now that my boyfriend's away in Canada, I have plenty of time to myself and to dedicate to my writing. I'm just glad that my short story will be winning a national award next week. I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope for first place!_

**Ambush**

Sydney casually walked into the Rec room after taking a long shower, pretending like nothing had happened between Sky and herself even though her heart beat against her chest very hard. She swore she could her heart. It was now official; Sydney Drew had been struck with Cupid's arrow.

After getting an apple, she sat with Z and tried to wipe the big, lame smile plastered all over her face. Z raised her eyebrows when she heard the blonde girl give a long, audible sigh. She knew her friend could act like a total airhead at times, but this was crazy, she knew there was something very wrong, or in this case, very right going on in her life that was making her act that way. It wasn't until Z snapped her fingers five times in front of her face that Syd woke up from her love-induced trance.

"Hey Z, I didn't notice you were there." She said innocently as she took a bite out of her apple.

"Apparently." Z stated and looked at her closely. "Are you okay? Your mind seemed to be in another universe a few minutes ago."

"I was just pondering."

"I may have grown up on the streets, but I know enough to know that 'pondering' doesn't make you _that _happy." She made quotation marks with her fingers, not believing a word that came out of Syd's mouth.

"I just remembered that I have some things I have to do." The blonde stood up rapidly, knowing that evading the subject of her sudden happiness wouldn't be put on hold for a lot of time; she was Z's roommate after all. And knowing Z, she would prod her with questions until she finally told her what was going on with her.

She felt bad about not telling Z, but she did have some important things to do that had slipped her mind because of the blissful little make out session she had with the Blue Ranger out on the training fields, not that she was complaining. She had enjoyed every minute of it and had no regrets whatsoever. Except maybe wearing makeup and not being covered in mud would have made it a little more romantic, but it would have to do for now.

She was meeting her and Sky's parents for lunch in the city. She took the chance to get dolled up, since her Prince Charming would be in attendance. She put on a simple black dress and high heels. After applying makeup, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled proudly at the sight before her. She looked very natural, like she wasn't trying too hard. She grabbed her purse and smiled as some of the younger male cadets stared at her as she made her way down to the parking lot, where she was meeting Sky.

When she got to the parking lot, her jaw popped open and almost hit the floor when she saw Sky. It wasn't like she was expecting him to be perfectly dressed for their date but what he was wearing went beyond old-fashioned, it was just plain ugly and so not him.

"What is this?" She pointed to his light and dark blue sweater vest.

"We call this a vest where I come from? How do you call it in your planet, Miss Drew?" Sky grinned when she glared at him and crossed her arms.

"We call that a fashion emergency where I come from." She inspected his outfit a little closer. "It's like you got your inspiration from Revenge of the Nerds, which would be great if it were Halloween."

"So what do you suggest I should do? Change?" She gave him her 'you-know-what-to-do' look. He knew resistance was futile now, the Pink Ranger would have her way one way or another. He ran to his room and came back after a couple of minutes, wearing dark jeans, a black and blue t-shirt and a leather jacket.

"Now that is more like it, Mr. Tate." Sydney winked and grinned after Sky mumbled something under his breath. She got on the passenger's seat while Sky took the wheel and started driving to the restaurant they were meeting their parents in.

The waiter greeted them warmly after they arrived at Francesco's, a small Italian restaurant Syd's father owned along with many other businesses, and took them to a private area afterwards. The blonde began feeling a bit of tension as she walked in. She wasn't sure how she was going to greet her godmother, Jennifer Collins. Syd walked slowly towards her and put her arms around her dear aunt, who she barely remembered but at the same time, missed with all her heart.

"I can't believe how much you've grown since the last time I saw you." Jennifer contemplated her before continuing, thinking of what to say next. "You're so beautiful, you've always been."

Sydney just gave her a big smile with tears in her eyes and sat down next to her and her mother. "I'm just grateful that SPD got to me before anything worse happened. That reminds me, I have to send Piggy a gift basket."

"Piggy? How exactly does he fit into us finding you?"

"I will tell you later. If you find something rotten, don't throw it away, just put in a bag and give it to me."

"You two are going to make me lose my appetite." Dana Grayson smiled politely as she nudged her daughter to change the subject to a little less nasty.

"How have you been doing at the Academy? I heard it can be a little tough on new cadets." Jen quickly interjected.

"Tough doesn't begin to describe it. I got cleaning duty two days in a row, extra training at 6 am with Commander Cruger in the mud course for not working with the team during a mission, I have a very messy roommate… but… it's been very good to me. I'd take Cruger over Grumm any day."

"How is your Squad?" Carter asked.

"We're getting better with each passing day. Now it's more important than ever that we do correct all our flaws and become the team we are supposed to be. We are the world's only defense against Grumm, after all." Sky smiled kindly at her words. She could be shallow sometimes, but she genuinely cared for the team. From that point on, Sky knew that Syd didn't only see the team as only her friends, but as her second family too. Maybe he could start changing his mind about them.

"I know some things we could work on. I'll make sure to have the rest of the team know them before we train next week."

"If one of those things is promoting you to Red Ranger and getting Jack demoted to another squad, you know Cruger just won't budge on that one. He's still angry with you about that whole diamond debacle thing." Sky nearly choked on a piece of lettuce from the salad he was eating when the Pink Ranger said this.

"What do you mean by promoting, Syd? Sky is already the Red Ranger." Mrs. Collins said.

"Last time I checked Sky was still the Blue Ranger." The Pink Ranger glared at Sky. What had begun as a nice lunch had now turned into a very awkward conversation. Syd sighed with relief after leaving the restaurant, not saying another another until getting to the Academy's Rec room.

She gave him a serious glare and crossed her arms. "Red Ranger, nice lie you told your mom there. Didn't you think she would eventually find the truth?"

"Syd, you don't understand. Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a Red Ranger, just like my dad, and after he died… I just told myself I had to be the perfect cadet to achieve just that, I want to make my mom proud."

"No Sky, you're the one who doesn't understand." She told him sternly, looking him in the eye. "Color isn't important when you're a Ranger, it's what you do with that suit that matters. The only thing you care about is being perfect while the real thing you should be caring about is your team and how we work. We are the Earth's only hope. If we fail, Grumm wins."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me you're sorry. I want you to prove that you are actually sorry. Prove to me that you can be more than this arrogant jerk you pretend to be. If you can't do that, then I'm demoting myself to another squad." She answered back, trying to keep her voice as low as possible.

"What would you like me to do? Send a gift basket to everyone I've supposedly been bad to?" He retorted.

"I can't tell you what to do, you've got to figure that out on your own. If you don't, then we're doomed. And then the Earth gets taken over by Grumm. All in all, a pretty happy ending, I suppose." She sighed and took a deep breath, taking a small peek around the room. _'I think everyone here just heard and saw us fight like a married couple; so much for discretion.'_

"If the only reason you are doing this job is because you want to get the red ranger position, then every little rumor I've heard around the Academy about you is correct. You only care about yourself. It won't be until you start caring about other people that you will get Red Ranger."

And with that said, the petite girl walked out of the room with her head held high, hoping that Sky would listen to her advice and take it into consideration. When Syd came into her room, Z immediately ran to her bed and opened a magazine in front of her face, pretending like she wasn't listening to her argument.

"I would love to take up a class in how to read magazines backwards, Z. Maybe you could teach me sometime." Sydney smiled as she pointed out the fact that her roommate was holding the magazine the wrong way.

The raven-haired girl put the magazine down. "You've got to tell me what that was all about. I don't think I've ever seen you so angry before."

Syd sighed and told her all about the 'little' white lie that Sky had told his mom and how she had accidentally uncovered the truth about his position in the team to Jen. "If this gets you angry, remind me never to do something that bothers you. That hidden power you have scares me. I thought you would go crazy and use your powers on him."

"Oh, it's scary alright." She sad sadly, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat and sighed. "You have no idea how awful a burden it is to carry that power. The darkness crawls all over your body when you least expect it, when you get angry or get sad… It's like I can't feel anything because I'm scared that I'll become a monster."

The Yellow Ranger nodded and took her friend's hand in hers. "We are your friends. We'll help you deal with it. Whenever you feel angry or sad, come look for me and I'll get Bridge. He'll have you laughing in no time."

"Thank you, Z." She grinned and stood up. She went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later, wearing her clothes for exercising. "I'll be in the park if you need me. I'm going to run for a while. I need to vent my anger on something that isn't Sky."

"You know there are other ways of doing that. There's voodoo, for example."

"No. I'm doing this the old-fashioned way."

After running into a small, secluded and woodsy area of the park, Syd began practicing her punches and kicks on the trunk of a tree. She hit hard every time, taking deep breaths. It was only after she began hearing weird noises coming from the bushes that she stopped and turned around.

"Who's there?"

A white figure dashed out and crashed into her at full-length speed, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. When she opened her eyes, she saw RIC, the Robotic Interactive Canine, panting in front of her face. She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"RIC, get off me."

The robotic dog wagged his tail and obeyed her. Just as she was about to continue practicing, he dropped a ball to the ground, trying to tell her that he wanted to play. "Fine, but you've got to promise that you will let me train afterwards."

After Syd stood up and cleaned up a bit, RIC wagged its tail enthusiastically, anxiously waiting the moment that she threw the ball into the air. He wagged his tail again and a bird's chirp came out of his mouth, instead of a bark. She knew that the robot had its flaws, but she still liked him anyway, even though he could get annoying at times.

It was at times like this where Syd just wanted to be left alone. But she couldn't exactly take out her anger on RIC, he was just trying to help her. She kneeled and patted his head gently, giggling as he wagged his tail.

She sat down by the trunk of the tree and sipped some water, smiling as RIC rolled the red plastic ball with his nose. She suddenly felt better and happier, like she could even forgive Sky for lying to her mother and being so proud. And then just at that second, she realized she was being proud, too.

After standing up, she motioned for RIC to follow her. Out of the blue, a giant purple blast knocked her off her feet. She grunted as she hit the ground, taking a few seconds to recover from the attack. She glanced at her arm and realized there was a large gash running down her arm. Fresh blood dripped slowly onto the ground.

Syd adjusted the bandana on her head and stood up, and just as another blast was about to hit her, RIC jumped in front of her, receiving the full impact of the blast. When he fell to the ground, Syd rushed to the small river he had fallen in. She quickly got in and retrieved the body and as much parts as she could.

She was muddy and completely dirty by the time she had gathered the pieces of the robotic dog. It had been a few minutes since the blast had destroyed RIC and she still hadn't figured out where it had come from, since the attacker hadn't come out. Another blast came out of the blue and hit the ground before her, which caused her to fall into the same muddy lake RIC had fallen into.

When she got out, a single word came out of her mouth, "Morgana."


	18. Never Getting Free

**Chapter 18- Never Getting Freedom**

Sydney let out a loud moan of pain as she tried to stand up. Morgana smiled with delight at her suffering. The tiny blonde managed to pull herself up to her feet, trying to suck up the intense pain shooting up her leg.

"I love attacking you Sydney. You are so fun to mess around with." Morgana's lips formed an evil grin.

"I'll show you just how fun messing around with me is." She got on a fighting stance , not ready to back down against one of her biggest enemies. She knew she had no chance of beating Morgana yet she knew she had to at least try. She wouldn't allow her to have the satisfaction of beating her.

"What are you going to do? Hop around on one leg until you can hit me?" The villain let out a loud laugh at her own joke. After all those years they had spent together, the Pink Ranger still didn't understand her affinity to laugh at her own jokes, which weren't even that funny.

"No. I'm going to do this." Syd took out her morpher. "SPD Emergency!"

She waited a few seconds for something to happen, but nothing did. It was then when she realized that her morpher had gotten wet and damaged by the blasts Morgana fired at her.

"Technology, just when you need it the most, it fails and abandons you." Syd dropped the device on the dirt and adopted her fighting stance again, glaring at her opponent. She clenched her fists and put her arms in front of her chest, just as Cruger had thought her while training.

When Morgana rushed to attack her, she braced herself and dodged as much of the punches as possible, only taking a few ones to the stomach. She flet like she was in a boxing ring. And she knew she was losing badly. Her injured leg wasn't helping, either.

When the raven-haired girl aimed at her face, she did a back flip and landed on her back. Sydney was getting sloppy, and the villain definitely had the upper hand in this battle, which she hated.

"Had enough, Rogue?"

"Don't call me that. My name is Sydney." She hissed fiercely.

"No. You see you were born under that name, but you know quite well that this isn't the real you." The villain circled her and smiled evilly. "You've been Rogue for most of her life. This is only something you're doing to be with the Blue Ranger."

The last words stung the Pink Ranger. A tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it off her face quickly, not wanting Morgana to see her crying. "Let me guess, you and the beau had a fight, probably about you, am I right?"

"What I do is none of your business."

"Guess what, princess? It is." She kicked the Pink Ranger and rolled her on her stomach. She put her on Syd's back so she couldn't get up, which made her cry out in pain. She raised the petite girl's blouse slightly and ran her fingers over the brand.

"You see, this brand you have back here says otherwise." There she went again, mentioning that ugly reminder that she would never be free as long as both Morgana and Grumm were loose. "You're mine, Sydney. You will eventually come back to me, begging to be Rogue again."

"Never." She hissed again, groaning loudly as Morgana removed her foot from her back. Syd immediately rolled onto her back to remove the pressure from her leg.

"We'll see about that when you hurt the ones you love the most. The evil inside you is getting stronger every day. It's only a matter of time until you become Rogue, because that's who you are. Sydney is only a façade you're hiding in." She spat at her viciously.

Syd had heard enough. There was a lot of anger bottled up inside her, just begging to be let out. She closed her eyes and did the only thing she could think of to defend herself. She closed her eyes and began forming a blast and then, the inevitable happened. She blasted her, using her power only as a last resource.

Just as Morgana hit the floor a few meters away, Jack, Bridge, Z and Sky arrived to help her. While Jack and Bridge helped her up, Z began walking to where Morgana was lying. The villain stood up quickly and smiled evilly. "Remember what I said, princess." With that said, she vanished into thin air, leaving everyone but Syd dumbstruck.

"What was that all about?" Bridge asked gently as both Jack and him helped Syd walk to the jeep.

"Nothing, you know how crazy Morgana is. She's like a good contemporary comedy, she makes no sense whatsoever."

"Why didn't you call us to come help you?" It was clear that Sky was very irritated. "If it weren't for Boom you'd be dead, or worse, you'd be in Grumm's ship again."

"Gee, Sky, you always know exactly what to say to make me feel better." Syd muttered sarcastically.

"It wasn't supposed to make you feel better. You're the one who said we were supposed to act like a team, remember?" His words stung to her very core. She glared at him as she lied down on the back seat of the jeep.

"Yes, I do remember and I'm sorry, ok?" She screamed. "Do you think I wanted to get killed by Morgana?"

"It sure seemed like it. You could've called us and this wouldn't have happened." He pointed at her leg, which only made her angrier.

"My morpher got screwed up, ok? It got damaged when Morgana hit me and then I fell into the lake to save…" She mentally slapped herself for forgetting about RIC. "We need to go back."

"You want to fight more, princess?"

That was the last straw. She got up and faced Sky, glaring at him. "Oh yes, please. Bring Morgana and more aliens so I, the defenseless, one-legged princess, can fight against them."

She began walking back, following her lead. She looked back and shot a look that could kill at the Blue Ranger, who was acting like nothing was wrong. She got on her knees, stifling a scream as she hit the floor, at the lake. She put her hands over RIC's parts and stared at the team. "He saved me from getting killed. He was loyal until the end."

Z put a hand over her shoulder and helped her up. "It wasn't your fault. Morgana did this to him."

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that he's…well, damaged beyond repair." She picked up some of the parts and handed them to Jack and Bridge. She took one last look at RIC's head and handed it to Z. All three of them took that as a cue to leave her and Sky alone.

"I'm sorry, Sky."

The Blue Ranger was stunned at her words. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I told my mom the truth and she was very happy."

"I told you it would be that way. When you're a Ranger, color doesn't mean anything. What matters is how you use the suit and the power and responsibility that come with it. That is my perspective." She said gently. Sky put his arm around her and smiled.

"By the way, if you ever call me princess again, I will murder you."

The Blue Ranger knew she had meant it as a joke, but knowing Syd, he decided it was better not to piss her off. While they were walking, the petite fell down, her ankle finally failing her. Sky picked her up in his arms and carried her in his arms. They stopped where the others couldn't see them.

"I'm not ready for anyone to know about us."

"Neither am I. We will tell them when the right time comes." Sky agreed with Syd and put his arm around her to support her weight while they walked. Once at the parking spot, he placed her on the back seat gently and began driving to SPD.

After giving the blonde girl a sedative to help deal with the pain, Kat Manx came out of the medical wing and smiled at a very worried Sky, who was waiting in the command center.

Sky had spent the last two hours checking the cameras around the park to see if they had gotten anything on Morgana's attack on Syd and RIC. So far, he had only gotten a few surveillance videos that showed the girl running around the park with RIC a few times. He didn't even know why he was doing whatever it was that he was doing, he just needed to distract himself with something.

"She's fine, Sky. She's resting now." Kat told him, but before he could leave, the doctor gave him a bouquet of roses. "Give these to her. No girl can resist roses."

"What if Cruger finds out? Won't he be pissed about us breaking the cadet fraternization rule?"

"Not if he doesn't find out." She whispered coyly.

Sky grinned and grabbed the roses. "Thank you, Doctor Manx."

"Thank you for what?" And with that said, she walked away discretely, pretending to be reading Syd's medical charts.

When Sky entered the hospital room, he found his friend lying on a bed. Her leg had been bandaged and propped up on a pillow to ease the pain she was feeling. He noticed Syd had cleaned up since the last time he had seen her. She had been completely dirty when they brought her in. It looked like Kat had helped her shower and he remembered Z coming inside a few hours ago, probably to help her out.

Sydney immediately turned her head and shot Sky a small and weak smile. She sat up slowly when he sat beside her bed. "Hey."

"How are you feeling?" He put the flowers on his lap and returned her smile. "I got this from you. I hope you are not allergic to roses."

"Only if they come with bees inside them."

"I promise that they won't sting you." He set the flowers down on her lap. When she picked them up to smell them, he couldn't help but stare at her. He had felt like this only once before. It was when they had kissed that rainy day at the court. Now he knew the Pink and the Blue Ranger weren't only friends. They were something else, something completely foreign to both of them.

"Thank you." She put them down and grabbed a glass of water from the table beside her and took a sip with a straw. "Do you know what will happen to RIC now that he's trashed?"

"His parts will be recycled. Kat wasn't able to do anything for him." He took her hand in his and put a solemn look on his face. "I'm sorry."

"No, there must be something that we can do. I won't give up on him." She wasn't the brightest bulb of the team but she swore she could hear engines moving inside her head as she thought of any ideas. She grinned and clapped her hands. "Sky, bring Bridge and Boom and tell Z to bring my magazine stack. I have an idea."

"Syd…"

"I may be on painkillers but I'm not crazy. If you trust me, you'll do what I ask you to do." She crossed her arms and put an amused smile on her face as he walked out the door, bringing along what she had asked.

"I brought a permanent marker to sign your cast." Bridge looked closer and noticed she had no cast. "Oh, I thought your leg had been broken because of the impact and the blast…"

"Bridge!" Syd interrupted and handed him and Boom a magazine. "Your subscription arrived at my door last week. And since I'm so into technology, I thought I'd keep it for a while."

"I could lend you my other issues when you have time to read them." The Pink Ranger slapped herself on the forehead and rolled her eyes.

"That was sarcasm."

"So what do you need us to do?" Boom asked her. She gave them a smile and handed them a folded sheet of paper. After both of them read it, they gave each other a high five and left the room.

"Those two get weirder every second they are together." Z muttered and shrugged, waving goodbye to both of them since she was meeting Jack for dinner. Sydney giggled and waved goodbye to her friend after wishing her good luck.

After talking for a few hours, Kat came in to tell Sky that visiting hours were over but before leaving, he kissed Syd's forehead tenderly. She blushed and stared down at her sheets, not knowing what to say.

Just as Sky was about to leave, she grabbed his hand and gave him a small peck on the lips. "That's for leaving me alone here."

"I can't wait to see to what you have in store for me when you get angry." She gasped and punched his shoulder playfully. And with that he left the medical wing with a big smile on his face.


	19. Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

_Author's Note: The song I used here is a Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) cover sung by Emily Browning, who plays the amazing Babydoll, from the super-awesome movie Sucker Punch directed by Zack Snyder. _

**Chapter 19- Sweet Dreams Are Made of This. **

Sydney looked at her alarm clock for the third time. It marked 1:00 a.m. She groaned silently and closed her eyes once again. She opened them again fifteen minutes later. It seemed like sleep would never come, even though she was pretty tired. Failing to fall asleep was nothing new to her, since this problem had been very persistent ever since she got released from the medical wing a few weeks ago.

She had tried just about everything, from sleeping pills to drinking warm milk, to make her doze off. But not even the strongest remedies seemed to work. She thought it was just because she was experiencing some post-traumatic stress after Morgana's attack, she knew that the sight of her alone could be the cause of many nightmares and insomnia.

She closed her eyes again and smiled at herself when sleep began coming to her a few minutes later, making her feel relaxed and numb all over. While her body was still in the Academy, her mind was on a completely different place.

_Sweet dreams are made of this_

Sydney usually never dreamed and when she did, it was always to warn her about something. The warnings she had seen before had been serious, but serious didn't even begin to describe the sight before her eyes.

_Who am I to disagree?_

Syd groaned as she opened her eyes, seeing nothing but darkness before her. She felt like Morgana had just attacked her, and she had lost. She found herself wearing only wearing a white dress, which had gotten dirty and wet. She assumed it had been raining, since the floor beneath her feet was wet and small puddles surrounded her.

She stood up slowly and assessed her surroundings. The buildings around her looked familiar, even the street she was standing on did. That's when she realized she was standing on the square of Newtech City, or what remained of it.

The street was filled with rubble from some of the buildings that had been damaged or completely destroyed. She kept wandering around, trying to figure out what had happened. She leaned down and touched the debris before pulling her hand away. It was still hot, which meant it hadn't been there for a very long time.

_Travel the world and the seven seas_

A heavy downpour of rain began falling over the city. The rain wasn't warm or light, like the one from the time she had had her first kiss. This one was extremely cold and heavy, like little ice cubes hitting her skin rapidly. She looked around for shelter, running as quickly as she could, trying not to slip. When she finally found shelter in an abandoned parking lot, she sat on the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm.

She looked up when she spotted a shady figure darting around the room. She got on her feet and began chasing after it. After a few failed tries to make it stop, she finally get some luck as she held on to the creature's cape, not letting go until the little thing stopped moving when she put her arms around it.

The creature broke free and exposed its face. It wasn't that of a creature, but of a little girl. Sydney saw her younger self again. The little girl stood in front of her, wearing a child-like replica of her white dress. She was dirty and wet. The little girl also wore a pink hood to protect her from the cold. Just when the girl was about to run off again, the Pink Ranger stood in front of her, blocking her way out of the parking lot.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Please don't run from me." Older Sydney told her gently.

The younger girl stopped fighting her and sat down on a safe spot. Syd followed her and adopted the same position she had a few minutes ago. She rubbed her hands together for warmth. "Why are you running?"

"She's looking for me. Don't let her find me." Her younger self said shakily, mimicking her moves to stay warm. She began sobbing quietly after a few minutes.

_Everybody is looking for something_

"Who's after you? If you tell me, I promise I will find a way make her stop. I'll even get my friends to protect you." She said with a smile on her face, taking her younger version's hand and squeezing it gently. Somehow, the younger girl didn't seem to agree with her statement and quickly pulled her hand away.

"You can't stop her, no one can." She lowered her voice and stared her in the eyes. "Everyone who tried has been killed."

The young girl got on her feet. Sydney grabbed her hand but she pulled away, looking around. She began to walk toward the other entrance, checking every part of the abandoned parking lot. The older version realized her younger self had been forced to grow up quite quickly. No young girl could be as secretive or as careful as her.

Syd followed behind her, making sure that she didn't escape again. The Pink Ranger turned around when she heard the familiar sound of high heels against concrete. That's when the little girl came by her side.

_Some of them want to use you_

"She will kill me. Don't let her find me." And with that, the little girl began running again. She could have sworn that the little girl had been injected with Cheetah DNA when she had been born because of how fast she was. When the footsteps came closer, she got on a fighting stance. There would be no surprises, she knew Morgana would appear before her and tell one of her extremely bad jokes.

_Some of them want to be used by you_

But what appeared before her was something completely strange yet familiar. The sight before her was not someone else, like she assumed at first, but herself. She contemplated the sight before her.

This version of her had a long, straight and sleek white-blonde mane that made her look paler than she already was. Wore something she would never even dream of putting on, a black mid-riff leather top that proudly showed off her brand, a pair of tight, black skinny jeans and thigh-high boots.

"Let me guess, you got a gift card to go shopping at Sluts R' Us." Sydney taunted playfully, not believing the sight before her.

"Ouch, that hurts my feelings, Syd." Her blue eyes widened at the sound of her name. "Oh yes, I know your name. You can choose to think of this as whatever you want, but fate has already laid out its cards for you."

"What is your name?"

"Oh, you know my name quite well. We've known each other for a long time; I'm surprised you could forget me so quickly after all those adventures we had together. I'm disappointed."

"No, you can't be. You're not real, not anymore." Sydney shook her head and began running, looking for a way out, screaming as walls began to grow around her.

"You will never be able to escape from me." The Pink Ranger glared at her opponent. "I am you. Stop pretending like you're something you're not. You are only hurting yourself and your friends."

_Some of them want to abuse you_

"I stopped being you when I became part of this team." That just made Rogue laugh and come closer. The other girl instinctively stepped back and looked for a way out.

"Are you sure you are part of that team? Some of your 'friends' don't even trust you yet." She knew Rogue was taunting her, trying to make her believe things that weren't real.

"Sooner or later, you'll find out who you really are and become who you are meant to be." The evil girl gripped a sword from a holster behind her back and stabbed Syd in the stomach as she walked to the nearest way out of the parking lot.

Sydney looked down at her dress. What used to be a pristine, white dress was now a red and light pink bloody disaster. She pressed her hand over her wound, trying to apply as much pressure as she could so she wouldn't bleed out. Her body began feeling weak and limp from the blood loss, which also made her hands shake gently. She moved her eyes over to Rogue, who was still taunting her. The last words she heard coming out of her mouth were, "The darkness will consume you. Stop fighting against it."

_Some of them want to be abused by you_

Sydney awoke violently in her bead. She gripped her stomach and gasped for air desperately, looking around to see her surroundings. Z awoke when she saw her roommate's distress and sat beside her, grabbing her hands.

"Get away from me!" The Pink Ranger pushed her friend away harshly and stood up. After getting her out of her way, she walked out of her room. She stared at the of the SPD Academy in amazement, as if she had never stepped foot inside them.

"She's probably sleep-walking." Z muttered under her breath. Even though she dismissed her roommate's attack on her as an effect of the stress she was going through, she still ran to the other rangers' rooms and knocked on their doors violently.

Sky emerged from his and Bridge's room, rubbing the back of his head. He yawned loudly. "Is there something going on?"

"Normally, I would be sarcastic, but I'm afraid that not even sarcasm is going to help this time."

"Get to the point; you're starting to speak like Bridge." The irritation was clear as he spoke.

"Your girlfriend attacked me after she woke up screaming and gasping. She simply walked out of the room afterwards. I'm going to go ahead and say that this isn't just a case of sleep–walking."

"My…Wait, Z, why do you think Syd and I are… you know…"

"Lovebirds? Oh come on, seriously? You two are extremely obvious. The way you look at each other says everything." He had grown to trust Z in the short time she had been at the Academy, so he assumed she would keep his secret for now.

"Where did you last see her?" Z grabbed her license and opened it to show the Pink Ranger's current location. The Blue Ranger did the same and ran off to din her while Z stayed behind to wake Bridge and Jack.

She poked Bridge's shoulder a few times, only getting a sleepy growl as a response. She looked around for something she could use to wake him. Her first option was loud music, but then she decided not to use that because the whole Academy would be woken up. So instead, she grabbed a bottle of water and poured it over his head. She grinned and laughed when he glared at her.

The tender moment was quickly interrupted by Sky, who sent a message to Z telling her that he had found Syd and that it didn't look good. The Yellow Ranger ran to Jack's room and took the liberty of waking him up. She hit him with a pillow and smiled at his reaction, which was also a glare of annoyance directed straight at her.

Jack was about to begin screaming when she explained what had happened with the Pink Ranger. Both ran out of the room and met Bridge in the hallway. They began making their way to where their friend was.

While help arrived, Sky observed the girl in the pink nightgown closely. She wandered around the main halls aimlessly, as if trying to find something. She stopped before the doors of the Command Center and entered slowly. She looked around as if it were the first time she had ever been inside it. She stopped walking and closed her eyes.

Sky heard her take a series of deep breaths before she made her way to the computers. She turned one of the monitors on and ran her fingers over the letters of the keyboard, cocking her head to one side, closing her eyes again. She frowned and smiled a few seconds later as she opened her eyes and began typing a series of coordinates.

Sky noticed her hands had begun to shake as she typed faster and more clumsily, making mistakes a few times. She started gasping for air a few minutes later, sweating profusely from the lack of air she was experiencing. Sydney began closing her eyes slowly, blinking as if she were trying to stay awake.

She rolled her eyes and fell backwards after passing out in Sky's arms. Sky carried her to her bed after meeting up with the team. Her eyelids fluttered a few minutes later. She sat up in bed and stared at the team, who had gathered around her.

She couldn't remember exactly what she had done, but by the looks on everyone's faces, it was pretty bad. "I'm sorry for whatever it is I did."

"Do you remember anything from an hour ago?" Jack asked gently. She took a few minutes to think and then shook her head.

"I just remember the dream I had."

"What dream?" Sky sat beside her and took hold of her hand. She took hers away, still trying to hide their relationship from the team. She stared at her feet as she spoke.

"I had a dream, in which the city had been destroyed. At first, I though Grumm was behind it." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "It was raining heavily, so I got some shelter and found a little girl who's always in my dreams. She comes to me often. Especially at times where I think that I have no choice but to be evil."

"May I ask who this little girl is?" Z crossed her arms and covered her body with a blanket lying on her bed.

"It's me, actually, when I was a little girl." She sighed and smiled. "It's a part of me I've kept locked away for my entire life. As crazy as it sounds, she makes me sane."

"After meeting her again, she told me to protect her since she was being hunted by the destroyer of the city. As it turned out, Grumm wasn't the destroyer, it was me. I saw myself as Rogue. She stabbed me and that's when I woke up."

"Why would she kill you? I mean, she is a part of you." Jack stated as he sat on a pink chair at the corner, pinching himself to stay awake.

"She's not a part of me. I am a part of her." Rogue had gotten that right, since she had been that person for almost her entire life. As far as she could tell, Sydney was just another piece of the villain's personality. To her, Sydney was not an individual personality yet, since she still displayed a lot of the characteristics, not only physical, but mental too, that Rogue did.

No one said anything afterwards. The room fell into an awkward, pensive silence. Sydney closed her eyes again and drifted off to sleep. Bridge, Jack and Sky left after making sure Sydney was all right.

While the Pink Ranger slept peacefully on Earth, a raven-haired girl had a violent awakening on space.

"Grumm!" Morgana screamed at the top of her lungs.

The alien growled at her when he entered her room. "What do you want at this time of night? I was meditating."

"You're always meditating."

"Get to the point." He growled at her teasing, not taking it as a joke.

"Next time you hire a stupid alien, who gets inside people's dreams, tell her not to come into mine." She complained. Grumm, as a way of trying to get back what was his, hired an alien called Dreamcatcher from the planet Zaro. She had the ability to get inside people's minds and control their dreams and thoughts as she pleased. This also allowed her to control someone's body as long as they were still asleep, which took a lot of energy out of her.

After Dreamcatcher's failed attempt to control the Pink Ranger's body, she redirected her power to another body, which she thought belonged to a Ranger. Instead, she entered Morgana's subconscious.

"I'm just glad to have another powerful ally we can rely on."

"I don't care who you make alliances with, as long as that alien or person stays away from my personal business, understood?" She snarled at the Emperor. He just nodded and left her room afterwards.

Grumm smiled when he saw his new ally standing in his throne room. He felt better now that he knew he had an advantage against the Rangers and Cruger. Dreamcatcher sighed with delight as she approached his throne, kneeling before the Emperor.

_Sweet dreams are made of this_

_Everybody's looking for something_

_Some of them want to use you_


	20. Sing Me To Sleep

**Chapter 20- Sing Me To Sleep**

Sydney looked out her bedroom window, trying to recall the events from a few nights ago, when she had been in some kind of trance that had made her attack Z. The trance had been powerful, as far as she could tell; it was more than just pure insomnia or sleep-walking. She felt like a puppet now, since she wasn't in control of neither her actions nor her body. In some ways, she was Grumm's prisoner all over again. Maybe what Rogue and Morgana had said was right: She would never be free.

She let her thoughts slide when the alarm sounded. Z jolted awake and pulled the covers away from her body. Both girls put on their uniforms on in a hurry and ran to the Command Center, both still working out the kinks that came with dressing quickly. Z and Sydney concluded that they had done a pretty good job at dressing in a matter of minutes, while some had not had the same luck. That certain someone was Bridge, who was wearing his shirt backwards. Sky was impeccably dressed. He had recently washed his uniform and ironed it.

You could the boy out of the Academy, but you couldn't take the Academy away from the boy. Jack arrived a few seconds before Commander Cruger and Kat Manx. He adjusted his jacket and got in line with his teammates. They saluted the Commander, who stood before Bridge.

"Cadet Carson, I'm sure the dress code for cadets doesn't state that you should wear your shirt backwards." Cruger pointed out.

"No Sir, I know the dress code by heart. I would never wear my shirt backwards. Unless, of course, if this were an alternate universe, in which the dress code stated otherwise…" Bridge began rambling once again. Syd and Z both shared a small smile and Syd decided to interrupt.

"Bridge, what the Commander means is that your shirt is backwards." The Green Ranger looked down at his shirt and rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Commander. I'm working on a new project and I haven't had a lot of time to sleep. You must know what lack of sleep can do to someone's brain."

Cruger nodded and pointed at the screen. A live video feed from one of the security cameras in the downtown area was recording an alien attack. The alien looked like a very big and ugly turtle. Its body was covered with a large shell that had large spikes for protection.

"Be careful, we believe the spikes are poisonous. Approach the creature only when morphed." Kat stated clearly as she handed a new morpher to Sydney. She took a deep breath and shouted "SPD! Emergency."

When her morphing was complete, she went down to the garage with Z and the others, who had morphed, too.

Upon reaching the downtown area, which was the poorest section in all New Tech, the Rangers got off their vehicles and took their weapons out. Z and Syd checked out the perimeter and made signals to the guys that meant that the coast was clear.

As they continued to move at a slow and careful pace, an army of Krybots came out of nowhere and immediately went straight to the Pink Ranger, who was already in her fighting stance with her weapons out and ready. She yelled at the other to keep moving and that she could handle them. A quick fight against a dozen of Krybots in the morning never hurt anyone, especially not her.

While Syd fought off the robotic army, the rest of the rangers kept moving until they found the alien terrorizing Piggy in his dumpster. Jack ran over to the creature and pointed his weapon at it. It immediately dropped Piggy, who quickly vanished inside his dumpster for protection. It turned to look at the Red Ranger; its hands were shaking, like he was afraid of something.

"I didn't mean to do this; Grumm made me do it." It produced a gurgle, which was probably meant to be a sob. "He has my family."

"We'll help you get your family back. Just come with us and we'll see what we can do." The alien, whose name was Shellshock, began following the Rangers. It stopped abruptly in the middle of an alley and took a shot at them when they had their backs turned to him. In a matter of seconds, a total of four spikes had penetrated the four suits. One after another, the Rangers all began demorphing as they hit the asphalt, clutching their chest as if all of them were experiencing an intense pain.

Shellshock looked back at his work and smiled proudly. It disappeared just a few seconds before the Pink Ranger arrived.

When she saw the scene before her, she demorphed and ran over to them, getting on her knees. She put Sky's head on her lap and began to brainstorm of ideas of how to help her teammates without getting killed in the process. She wasn't a scientist or a doctor, but she immediately thought that taking the spike out of his body would help. That was until he stopped her.

"Don't take it out. You'll only get poisoned yourself." Sky muttered between moans of pain and loud grunts. "Call Kat and the Commander."

Sydney took out her morpher and called Dr. Manx. "Kat, I think you and the Commander might want to see this."

"I can't get a video feed from your location. Downtown has very few cameras." Kat told her.

"Kat, I need you and the Commander to come over to my location. The situation's pretty urgent. I wouldn't be calling you otherwise." She heard nothing but silence for a minute.

"We'll be there in a few minutes." Kat replied gently.

She put her fingers to Sky's throat to measure his pulse, which seemed stable. Then she just observed his chest, which went up and down like if he were breathing normally. He did the same with the other Rangers and got to the conclusion that they were sleeping.

When Kat and the Commander arrived, she was pouring cold water on a towel that she placed on Z's forehead. She stood quickly and saluted Cruger. Kat quickly got on her knees and started taking their pulse.

"I did that already, Kat. They are stable." She said gently.

"How did you…"

Sydney interrupted. "My mother's a doctor, remember?"

Kat came by her side and put on a pair of latex gloves. She removed the spike from Sky's shoulder and placed it in a bag. She repeated the process for the other Rangers. After they were taken away to the Academy's medical wing, the Doctor began analyzing the spikes with the equipment she had brought while Sydney waited for answers at the loading docks.

This was a typical Sydney reaction. If she felt scared, anxious or guilty, she would always run off somewhere distant to clear her head and be alone. She had attained this trait while training to be Rogue. It was one particular occasion when the Emperor had tried to make her kill an alien for betraying him. She declined and tried to get away from the situation when he grabbed her by the wrist and convinced her that that was the alien that had killed her parents, a lie that he told frequently. He used his mind tricks on her, finally convincing her. That had been Sydney's first kill. She was only 15.

The situation had left emotional scars on the petite girl. By the time, she got to the ship, she ran off to her room instead of letting anyone congratulate her. She recalled sitting on her bed, crying behind closed doors because of what she had done. She told herself she would never cry in front of Grumm or anyone else. She put up walls and different masks to protect herself from getting hurt. She masqueraded as the tough girl, always following the Emperor's orders and sticking by the rough training that this implicated. If she took her mask off, all that would be left would be a scared little girl, desperate for redemption and a savior.

"Dr. Manx has the results already." Cruger told her.

"I'll be there in a minute." She replied gently. "Commander, have you ever lost someone that meant everything to you?"

The Commander debated whether to tell her or not. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Yes, I lost my wife Isinia a few years ago."

Syd couldn't help feel melancholic. Speaking of the death always made her feel like that. "I'm sorry for your loss."

He smiled a bit and eased up. "She meant the world to me. What about you, have you lost anyone?"

"Well, let's see…"

"There's Dru. Not that he's dead, but he seemed to care for me when no one else would, up until he betrayed me that is. Then there's S…" She bit her tongue so she wouldn't reveal her relationship with the Blue Ranger.

"You can tell me."

"This person isn't dead, but I'm afraid to lose him. He is literally between life and death right now and I have no freaking idea of what to do." She couldn't have been more obvious about it. She cursed herself mentally. "I feel like what happened to him was my fault, like I could have prevented it."

"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have predicted that this would happen." He began walking back to Kat's station with Syd in tow.

"There's good news and bad news." Doctor Manx announced. "The material in the spike is just a strong soporific. That's why the Rangers fell asleep instead of dying."

"I fear there's a 'but' coming on." Sydney added anxiously.

"But unfortunately this unique type of soporific directly affects the person's conscious part of the brain, leaving them trapped in their subconscious."

"So, this means that they are trapped in their own dreams. How are we supposed to get them out?" Syd asked.

"I may have an idea. I'll tell you about it later." She put her hand on the Pink Ranger's shoulder. "For now, I want you to go to the Academy and relax. Blaming yourself over this isn't going to help you or your teammates."

The petite girl nodded and drove off to SPD in the Jeep. After arriving, she went to check on Boom and Bridge's latest project. As she strolled in to Kat's assistant's lab, she carefully observed the progress that had been made since the last time she had checked up on them.

Considering how it looked, both geniuses were pretty much done, except for a few parts that were yet to be assembled. Apparently, Boom hadn't noticed when she walked in, because he jumped when Syd touched his shoulder.

He sighed loudly and relaxed when he saw who the person was. "I thought you were Kat."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Don't worry, it's only me. How's our little project coming along?"

"It's going great; Bridge and I have made pretty significant advances over the last few days." Boom told her as he paced around the room.

"Is there something wrong? You don't sound too excited about what we're doing here."

"I'm just worried about Kat finding out. I kinda borrowed some pieces from her lab. If she finds out, she'll put me in a containment card like when I ate the last piece of chocolate cake."

"Kinda borrowed? Sounds to me like you stole the parts." Boom let out a small sob as she patronized him. She took a deep breath and sat beside him. "I'm sorry I said that. Look, I know stealing is bad and all that crap, but this is for a very good cause. And it was created by her, the original version, I mean. We should just consider this as an upgrade."

He plastered a smile on his face and hugged her tightly for a few seconds. "Boom, may I have my body back now, please?"

He broke the embrace and smiled at her when she stood up. "I heard what happened to Bridge and the other Rangers. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." The petite blonde took a deep breath. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"I have a feeling they will. A true Ranger never stops fighting." He grinned as she took his words in. She smiled when she realized she now had to fight for them as they had done for her in the past.

"Keep working on it. I have to go do something." Sydney shot him one last smile and made her way to the medical wing, where Dr. Felix and Kat were examining her teammates.

"Any changes, Doc?"

"Sadly, no." Kat put her hand on Syd's shoulder. "Dr. Felix has found a way to wake them up but it's not going to be easy."

"As Dr. Manx mentioned before, the soporific directly attacks the brain's conscious part, which leaves the Rangers to the will of their subconscious and unconscious. In other words, they are trapped in their own dreams and nightmares." Dr. Felix interjected.

"The way to bring them back is by putting you under as well and when you're asleep, we'll make connections with your teammates' brains, one by one. We call it collective dreaming." Kat pulled the girl out of the room before she could make any irrational decisions. "Before you say you'll do it, I need you to know that this is a very risky and delicate process."

"Someone today told me that a Ranger never stops fighting. I can't abandon them just because there are risks implied." She declared passionately. "I want to do it."

"Then if you're really sure, go put on something comfortable that you won't mind getting wet." Miss Manx instructed.

She nodded and ran to her room. In a matter of minutes, she came back wearing a pink sports bra, covered by a gray wrap sweater, and black shorts. Dr. Manx and Dr. Felix made her follow them to Kat's lab, where they had already moved the Rangers' gurneys.

Kat pulled open the doors of a hatch that only contained water and seemed as shallow as a bath tub, only wider. She directed the petite to a table, where two white probes connected to cables were placed on her temples. Kat put a white pill on the girl's hand. She instructed for her to swallow it. After doing so, the other doctor injected a strong sedative into Syd's arm.

"Get inside the hatch and relax. The sedatives will do the rest."

"Kat, I'm beginning with Bridge. It's urgent that he wakes up. Boom needs him for a 'top secret project'." She made quotation mark with her fingers as she lied on her back in the water, which was surprisingly warm. She took a deep breath and smiled as she felt the sedative take control over her body and her mind.

"In every mind you'll visit, there will be a red door that you will use to exit that person's dreams. Passing through that door will also wake him or her up." Kat mentioned slowly. She had no idea what fast or slow was anymore. She could just see dark spots dancing around her vision as she blinked.

"Red door got it." She muttered weakly before falling asleep.


	21. Sydney In Dreamland

**Chapter 21- Sydney in Dreamland**

When Sydney opened her eyes, she was no longer inside SPD. She found herself lying on a very comfortable bed with a soft pillow against her head. She sat up and instantly regretted her decision. She put her head against the pillow, trying to ease the strong pain shooting trough her brain. She sat up, more slowly this time, and eventually got on her feet.

She turned back and found five more identical beds beside hers. There were a few medical framed posters hanging on the beige-colored walls. Everyone one of them showed one of the systems, like the muscular or the respiratory, that made the human body work. Just a few steps away from her bed a white curtain hung from a metallic bar. She instantly assumed it wasn't just for decoration. She pulled it open and got even more surprised by what she found behind it.

The room was the exact same color as the section with the beds, but this one had a large window beside a set of white drawers and cabinets. A large wooden desk was placed to the other side of the cabinets. There was a large leather chair behind it and two other chairs facing the desk. She would probably need to snoop around to get some more answers. She was just glad that the place was empty.

She opened some of the cabinets and found some medicines, like aspirin and cough syrup, bandages, syringes and other stuff related to medicine. She knew she was in a doctor's office. "It's official; I'm becoming Nancy freaking Drew. I'm getting good at this detective crap."

Afterwards, she walked to the large window and stared outside. She had a pretty clear view of a street and of a pretty big front lawn with a massive block of cement, that looked like it hadn't been painted in a very long time, placed it right in the middle of the grass. She thought it was pretty tacky. She began wondering why a person would put such a grotesque thing in the middle of a lawn… that was in front of a building. She did a double take and frowned when she realized where she actually was. She let out a small laugh and looked down at her clothes. She was in a uniform, but it wasn't the one she usually wore. This one consisted of a plaid skirt and a white button-up shirt. She was also wearing black tights and moccasins she thought were absolutely hideous.

"Bridge, I'm going to kill you when I get out of here." She muttered at herself and turned around when she heard someone open the door to the office. A chubby, elderly woman walked inside and smiled brightly at her. The old lady walked up to her and handed her a red lollipop. Sydney declined at first, but the elderly woman kept on pushing, so the Pink Ranger finally took it and put it in her pocket.

"Are you sure you're all right, dear? You hit yourself pretty hard on the head."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'd love to stay and chat but I need to go or I'll be late for my next class. Please excuse me." Everything she had just said was a complete lie. She was not fine and that woman was too pushy for her taste. And as far as attending classes went, she would only be attending one: Finding Bridge 101. She made her way through the empty hallways without problems. As she passed by, she made sure to check every classroom she passed by. They were all empty, which was strange for a high school. But then again, this wasn't a real high school; this just was a figment of Bridge's subconscious which was mild compared to her wild and dark one.

For the next couple of hours, if it were really hours that passed, she traveled up and down the building looking for Bridge in every classroom, laboratory and office. And still no sign of him or the red door. She sat down by a locker and put her head between her hands, trying to ease her headache. Instead of looking for Bridge, she began wandering around the halls in search of the red door.

She opened a door that led to a single flight of stairs. She went down the stairs and found herself inside a dark room with brick walls. A single white light flickered on and off as she moved closer to what looked like a hollow space. She began getting closer and caught a small glimpse of red. She didn't want to be wrong so walked all the way over and put her hand against something that stopped her. When the light flickered over her, she smiled and threw her fists in the air when she saw the red door.

She couldn't celebrate yet, not until she found her friend. She went back upstairs and retraced her steps when she began hearing a male voice, which wasn't her friend's voice, coming from the boys' bathrooms. She put her ear against the thick door and tried to listen. She couldn't hear anything definitive because of the door.

The voice was huskier and deeper than Bridge's from what she could make out. She turned the knob on the door a few times but it wouldn't budge. Someone had locked it form the inside. She recalled seeing an ax inside the fire emergency case so she went to the nearest one and tried to convert her hand into steel by holding a door knob made from the same material. When it didn't work for the first time, she wrapped her hand around and nothing happened. She opted for barbarism and broke the glass with a single blow. "You have an evil subconscious, Bridge."

As she walked back to the bathroom holding the ax, she couldn't help but feel like a bad-ass. Once the door was in sight, she took a few strong blows at the knob, until it finally blew off its hinges. Her irritation was clear when she entered the boys' bathroom but it faded away as soon as she saw Bridge sitting in the corner with a purple eye and a bloody nose. A guy who looked the same age as her friend stood in front of the sink. He was removing blood, probably Bridge's, from his hands. He turned and looked at Syd with an evil grin plastered all over his face.

"And who is this, Bridgey? Is she your girlfriend?" The guy took her by the arm. She groaned loudly and tried to pull away from him, but he was too strong and physically built for her to handle.

"Let go of her!" The Green Ranger shouted. The guy took his hand off Syd's arm and sat down next to Bridge. He looked directly into his eyes with the same diabolical smile.

"What if I don't want to? Will you punch me if I don't?" Bridge glared at him. "That's better. Physical aggression doesn't suit you."

"Don't listen to him Bridge. This is only a dream." Sydney smiled at him. "This is your dream. You control what happens here. Don't let your fears beat you."

"Well, looks like Blondie is not only good in the sack, she also has brains." He sneered at the girl and put his lips to her. She closed her mouth tightly and gasped when Bridge pulled him off her and punch him in the nose. She hissed and stared at him. "Nice right hook, Bridge."

"You'll pay for that." He pushed her teammate against the mirror in front of the sinks and punched him in the jaw. She groaned and remembered all them times she had spent fighting for herself in the various training arenas Grumm set up for her. If she could handle some of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy, she could totally handle a despicable human boy with psychopathic tendencies. She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him away from Bridge, hitting him even harder. "That's for touching me."

She took her knee to his groin and smiled when he fell to the floor. "And that, my dear, is for kissing me. If you need any more of that, I'll gladly give it to you for free."

Bridge stared at her when he grabbed his arm and pulled him to the hallways, where they began walking together. "That was amazing!"

"Well, at least being a former villain has it perks. It keeps creepy guys away from you. Consider it the new Taser or pepper spray."

"Thank you for helping me." He said gently.

"Bridge, it was nothing." She stopped abruptly and looked him in the eyes. "You've got to learn how to fight your own battles. I mean, I loved helping you in there, but I, or the Rangers, won't always be there."

"I know. Kenneth, the guy you helped me take out, always bullied me during high school. He would constantly pick on me for wearing gloves and even made up a rumor that I had a disease in my hands that was contagious. People stayed away from me for a while."

"I would normally have good advice, but since I never went to high school, I can't say I relate." She thought it over for a second. "I do have Morgana constantly teasing me, but that's a different story."

"I keep coming back to this place in my dreams because this was the worst day of my life." He took a minute and then continued, "He locked me in the bathroom and hit me for not letting him copy homework for a class he needed to pass to stay on the team. He punched me several times and then left when he was satisfied."

"I'm sorry, Bridge." She said solemnly. She waited a few seconds for Bridge to compose himself and then resumed her walking when he opened the door that led to the staircase. He closed it behind them and ran down the steps with Sydney when they heard Kenneth coming behind them.

Once inside the brick room, they both began running to the red door with Kenneth running just a few steps away from them. Bridge stopped running and turned back. He threw his enemy against the floor and glared at him, staring him in the eyes. "I'm not scared of you anymore."

The figure of his enemy became ashes in a matter of seconds. Sydney smiled proudly and held the door open for him. "Bridge, before you go, remember that you and Boom have a project pending."

He nodded and went through the door and so did she, closing the door behind her.

Back in the real world, both Rangers awoke with a loud gasp. She soon fell asleep again and woke up in yet another strange place she had never seen or been in before. She let out a shuddered breath and coughed. She only remembered being this cold once, and the experience was unpleasant enough to want to forget. Sydney looked at the clouds of fog that came out every time she exhaled.

She stood up and stared at herself in a broken mirror. She was wearing a small black dress, glittery, thigh-high stockings and a pair of beat-up, black leather boots and a thick fur coat over her dress. She looked around the room and found only a bed in the small concrete room. She walked out and almost wanted to shoot herself for doing so. In the real world, she would never even get out of bed looking like she just came out of a three-day party at a club. But here, she would just have to conform; it was only her friend's dream after all.

Once outside in the freezing cold, she wondered where to begin looking for him. She hoped that it would be quick, the cold was unbearable and the snow that hit her skin was colder than the one of the real world. She did a small overview of the place and immediately recognized it as downtown Newtech, where Piggy and his merry band of disgusting aliens and criminals lived. She put her hands in her pockets and found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter inside. She had taken up smoking once when she was 16 and trying to rebel against Grumm. She laughed at that memory as she walked toward a moving van she had spotted a few seconds ago. She turned on the cigarette and put it to her mouth when she spotted Jack sitting on the back, looking at a blond girl down the street.

"Pretty, who is she?"

Jack jumped and stared at her. "Don't do that! May I ask what you're doing here?"

"Answer my question, then I'll answer yours, oh mighty team leader." She took a swig out of her cigarette."

"Since when do you smoke?" Jack asked with a genuine look of shock on his face.

"Answer the question."

"Fine, her name's Ally." He confessed and smiled when he turned to look at her. He moved over when Syd sat beside him.

"What does she do for a living?"

"Her father owns a company where people can donate clothes, food and other stuff. She works for him." He announced proudly as he took the cigarette out of her mouth and smashed it with his foot. She glared at Jack.

"Jack, I know this girl is not the only reason you're smiling about." He tried to say something but she put a finger to his lip and went on, "You like helping people but you feel that being a Ranger is not the only way of doing so. You're starting to doubt the choice you made."

"I don't doubt that I'm meant to be a Power Ranger." Jack declared. "What I don't know if this is my true calling to help people out."

"I see." Sydney said gently. "Have you seen a red door around here?"

"You're not going to give me any advice?" Jack asked anxiously as she followed Sydney back into the warehouse.

"It's your choice. Even if I told you the greatest advice in the world, you would still choose whatever you think is right for you." She smiled gently and went down a flight of stairs and into a basement.

"What are you doing in my dream?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it later." They continued wandering around the factory for a while until they finally found the red door on one of the many rooms of the abandoned building. Sydney turned around and looked at Jack.

"Why was it easier to help you than Bridge?"

"You forget that our friend is a very complex person. I can't imagine being inside his brain." He smirked when Syd shrugged and opened the door for him.

"Yeah, he is." Jack turned back when she grabbed his arm. "Everything is your choice. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

She let his arm go free. "I won't and thank you for the advice."

"You're welcome. This is just my way of expressing how grateful I am for everything you and the other have done for me." The Pink Ranger shrugged and made her way to the red door that he held open for her. She smiled and teased, "Why thank you sir."

"No thanks needed, my dear lady." He smirked and bowed for hear. She giggled loudly and stared at him. "After you, my lady." She walked out the door with her friend in tow, getting back to reality only to fall back into another person's mind.

She woke up, for the third time in that day, lying on a pile of leaves in the ground. Sydney's eyelids fluttered for a few seconds until she finally opened her baby-blue eyes and stared at the bright sun in the sky. She took in its warmth and smiled. She lied there for a few more minutes, taking in her surroundings.

She was in the middle of the forest, or so she thought as she began walking around. What she had first thought of as a forest had now become a park, where small children were playing with their mothers. She immediately decided that this dream was the best she had fallen into all night. At least she was properly dressed this time. She sported an outfit consisting of a black leather jacket, a black and white striped t-shirt, skinny jeans and a pair of Doc Martens. _'At least you're not dressed as a hooker.' _She thought to herself.

She stopped walking when she found Z, who was sitting by herself on a bench at NewTech public high school's basketball court. Her eyes were puffy and red, which meant she had been crying over something. Sydney sat beside her friend and took her hand. The Yellow Ranger quickly wiped away her tears and faked a smile, "What are you doing here?"

"It's a pretty long story. I'll tell you about it if you tell why you've been crying." She stated.

"There's something inside my eyes, that's all." Z answered. Sydney rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "I may be blonde, but I'm not dumb."

"When I was in school, people always bothered me. They thought I was a freak. Hell, even my teachers thought so too. Ever since I discovered my powers when I was 10, I was constantly a target for bullies, who called me names and said stuff about me behind my back that wasn't even true."

"Well, at least you didn't have Morgana when you were growing up. She could be a real pain in the ass sometimes." The Pink Ranger said in an attempt to cheer her friend up, who let out a small laugh in return.

"But growing up with powers did have its advantages." Z confessed with a smile. "As I learned to control them, I began using them to avoid the hurtful comments. It was simple; I would just duplicate myself and get out of school whenever anyone said anything about me."

"I wish you could have been there when Morgana made me train in the most horrendous planets. She hates me."

"She hates everyone." They both laughed at that. "How was Morgana's training worse than Grumm's?

"In every way possible. And if you take the fact that she cracks a joke, which is not even funny, every two minutes and laughs by herself, it only makes the torture worse."

"I'm grateful that we can talk so openly, even though we are in a dream and all." She paused for a second and then went on, "We should do this more often."

"That would be nice." Sydney helped her friend up. After telling her about the red door, both went inside the school after a futile search at the park. Z went by the halls with her head down as people walked past her, laughing and insulting her. Z was about to reach her breaking point. She didn't know much she could handle.

"Z, this is your dream. You control this world." She stopped walking and took her by the arms. "Don't let your own fears beat you. They are all in the past, they can't hurt you anymore."

The raven-haired girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. One by one, the people began to disappear into thin air, leaving no trace behind. After the vanishing act, she opened her eyes and gasped. The petite girl smiled and continued to help her friend through what seemed like an endless maze of classrooms.

After more futile wandering, Z stopped in front of the girl's bathroom and went inside. Syd just followed her inside and grinned when she saw Z standing in front of the red door. She twisted the doorknob and waved as she vanished through the door.

After going through yet another red door, she found herself in Sky's dream. The scenario he had created was less than ideal and something she wasn't prepared for.


	22. Panic Switch

_Author's Note: Here's the new chapter! I can't believe that three weeks from now, my favorite show for a decade will end. All good things come to an end…Smallville, I'll miss you!_

**Chapter 22- Panic Switch**

Sydney awoke once again. This time, she found herself wearing a knee length white dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She couldn't help but smile at the high heels she was wearing, which were the same color as her dress. She sighed and took a look around. She didn't need much of a visual to know where she was. She came to realize she was lying on the floor of one of SPD's many intergalactic prisons.

She stood up slowly and began walking down an aisle in the middle of what seemed to be two endless rows of containment cells. And of course, no intergalactic prison could be complete without having the finest selection of criminals locked up in those cells. She was beginning to dread her friend's subconscious as she continued to look for him inside the cells.

The row of cells seemed endless until she got to a small hallway with a big white door with windows. The windows had white blinds that blocked her view to what was inside and a lock kept her from entering. At this point, she was so determined to find Sky that a lock and a couple of blinds wouldn't stop her. The padlock was curious, she thought, since it had no hole for a key. She took a few steps back and pointed her right finger at the lock, a small energy blast forming on its tip. After the blast hit it, the padlock fell straight to the ground. She smiled at her handiwork and proceeded to enter the room.

Her heart sank when she found Sky inside a padded room. He donned a straight jacket over a grey prison jumpsuit. He looked up and simply stared at her. She took a deep breath and sat beside him. He turned his face away from her. At first, Syd thought Sky was just playing around with her, but after a few minutes of the eerie silence that took over the room, she knew something was really wrong with her friend. After a few seconds, she finally spoke, "Sky, please tell me what's wrong. Was it something I did or said?"

"You're not real." He muttered in a monotone voice. He shifted his eyes to the floor.

"Of course I'm real." She scoffed and smiled. "Now stop being silly and stand up, we've got a red door to find."

"You're just a product of my imagination. Please leave me alone." He replied with his voice raised.

"For your information, everything you're experiencing is a product of your imagination." She grabbed his face and stared at his eyes. "I don't what is going on with you or what's your problem with me, but I do know that we've got to get out of here."

Sky turned his head to face the wall again, "Stop it! You're not real!"

"Look me in the eye and tell me that I'm not real. I dare you!" She raised her voice too. She was getting fed up with Sky's attitude. She knew adding more fuel to the fire always resulted in something bad, but she had to at least try to get something out of him.

The Blue Ranger slowly turned his face and glared at her, straight in the eye. "You are not real because I killed you!"

Sydney gasped and soon realized that this was his worst nightmare. Even though she had heard Sky saying that he would never hurt her while she was Rogue, there was no doubt in her mind that if the time came where he had to choose between Rogue and saving the planet, he would choose Earth over her. It hurt her deeply, but deep inside she knew it was the right choice. If she were him, he would kill Rogue too.

In his dream, the worst case scenario had happened already; that's why she wasn't real to him. She wiped a small tear from her eye and raised her voice once again, "Look at me!"

He turned his face toward her. Before he could say anything else, Sydney grabbed put a hand to his cheek and began stroking it. She leaned in and put her lips to his, kissing him gently. She pulled away after a few seconds and looked pleased with herself, "Do you still think I'm a hallucination?"

Sydney looked at the locks on the straight jacket and discovered they were the same as the one on the door. She first decided to use her powers on them, but then retracted herself from doing so. Even a small doze of her energy blasts could leave someone in the hospital for days, and since the locks were very close to Sky's body she didn't want to take any risks. She then stood up and crossed her arms. "We need to get out of here."

"Yeah, you told me that already. I just need to get this thing off me." He struggled against the straight jacket for a few seconds and sighed as his efforts produced no results. Not long after, Sydney piped up: "This is a dream, _your _dream to be exact. You control it. Close your eyes and imagine yourself being free. You haven't done anything wrong, Sky. I'm still here."

He did as instructed and in a matter of seconds, it was gone and he was on his feet. "Thank you for freeing me."

"You've got nothing to thank me for. You freed yourself." She grinned and took his hand. She glanced and caught a glimpse of a red door at the end of the row of cells. She thought it was rather strange since it wasn't there at the beginning. As soon as they began walking, a team of faceless creatures wearing SPD guard uniforms intercepted them and began attacking them. "Guards? Sky, you're so by-the-book that it's almost ridiculous."

Sky shrugged and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the attackers, who were very skilled and agile. The Blue Ranger groaned as he and the Pink Ranger hit the floor. Sky closed his eyes, trying to use the trick that his friend had taught him. It wasn't until he got punched in the face that he realized that these creatures would have to be beaten to get through. He looked at Sydney who was also getting her fair share of punches and ran to her. He stood in front of her and formed a force field around her, making it impossible for the attackers to do any more damage. She shot him a weak smile and raised her hand. "Desperate times call for desperate needs."

Before Sky could blink, one of Syd's energy blasts sent the guards flying to the wall. She stood up and took a deep breath. "I'm going to go ahead and bet that they won't stay like that forever."

He got on his feet and took her hand when he saw the creatures rising. They began running to the red door, never looking back. Once they reached it, Sydney stared at it. "I don't think this is the right door. This one is different."

"There's no other red door here. Come on, they're going to catch up to us." Sky pushed her away from the red door and opened it. He took her hand and ran inside with her.

Sydney woke up to find that the nightmare was far from over. She looked around and found herself in the post-apocalyptic NewTech she had dreamed of when she saw Rogue. The worst part now was that Sky was also there with her. Her dream and Sky's seemed like a marathon, they had done nothing but run. She hoped that he was ready to do more running, because that's what they were about to do.

After running to protect themselves from the rain that started not long after they arrived, they both sat down on the steps of the abandoned parking lot, trying to regain their breaths. "Where are we?"

Sydney let out a loud cough and stood up. "This isn't right. We are not supposed to be here."

"Where exactly is 'here'?"

She turned around to face him. "This is my subconscious, Sky. It's a dangerous place."

The familiar sound of high heels clicking against the asphalt became audible. Sydney took Sky's hand and pulled him up. Her expression was one of fear and he had no idea why she was acting this way. A few seconds later, she began running towards the exit. He followed her, no questions asked.

Once they were out of the lot and back in the rain, they both hid behind an alley. He'd only seen her that scared once before. Her reaction made him recall the first time Morgana confronted Syd. That was the first time she had shown any fear. "Is it Morgana?"

"What?"

"Are you running from Morgana?" He prodded gently, trying to get something out of her.

Hoping that Sky would believe her as he always did, she simply nodded. Sky didn't seem too sold on that idea but he would play her game. She stepped out of the alley to take a small peek. "The coast is clear. We need to move."

"Where are we going?"

She thought for a few seconds. "I don't know, Sky. You'll just have to trust me. I don't want her to hurt you."

She held out her hand to him. The Blue Ranger hesitated yet took her hand into his after a few seconds. "I trust you."

**SPD Academy**

While both Sydney and Sky were trapped in a dream without a way out, Kat tried to figure out what had gone wrong with the machine Sydney was using. Both doctors had become worried about both Rangers' well being. The Blue Ranger had experienced a small seizure just a few minutes ago while Syd's brain was going into overdrive.

Kat and Sydney both knew the risks implied but they took them anyway, no hesitation from the Ranger's part. Dr. Felix was closely monitoring Sky, while she did the same with Syd. As far as they both knew, the machine was fine. And even though it had never been used before, Kat trusted her inventions and knew how they worked by heart. When Cruger came in a few minutes later, both doctors stood up and saluted. After being asked for a debriefing, she gave the dog a complete summary. Three Rangers were fully awake now; Jack and Z were resting in the infirmary and Bridge was helping Boom with a secret project.

When he asked about the other Rangers' condition, Kat took him by the arm and led him outside. She sighed and decided honesty was the best policy. Lying to the Commander wouldn't be tolerated at the Academy. "They aren't awake yet."

"She's been inside his mind for over two hours now."

She took a deep breath. "There's a problem. We have a report that says that both Sydney and Sky exited his dream through the red door an hour ago."

"What is going on with my Rangers?" He demanded an answer.

"We are not certain but we are assuming they are stuck in her mind." She replied with a trembling voice. In all of her years, she had never seen him so mad about something.

"Assuming isn't good enough. Figure it out and get them out of wherever they are." She got lucky because no one was around when the Commander began raising his voice. It hurt that he screamed at her, but she understood his pain. Losing them was not an option. She walked back into the lab and began working on the computer while Doggy went into his office. He punched his desk and a picture frame made out of glass fell to the floor. When he bent over to pick it up, he made the grim discovery the frame had broken into a million tiny pieces. He brushed the shards of glass away and smiled at the photograph of him and his wife, Isinia.

**Sydney's dreams**

After running through the empty streets for a while, both Rangers had finally found a place they could call safe. The two smiled and walked inside, looking around at what once was the place they called home. It was in ruins now, but the memories they had treasured over the last few months would never go away.

Sydney walked away and found the stairway to the upper levels still intact. She climbed up the stairs in search of a red door. If there was one in her dream since being there was never part of the original plan. She walked for a few more minutes and stopped in front of the Command Center. She was amazed by the fact that the doors still worked. She stepped inside and immediately felt a drop of water hitting against her scalp. _'There are probably holes in the roof.' _She though to herself and kept walking around.

At one point, she slipped because of the water. She landed on her left hip and groaned loudly. After standing up, she proceeded to dry her hand with her clothes. What she saw next was a sight she would never forget. Her hand was wet, but not with water. The parts of the body that had landed in the puddle were not white anymore, they were red. She immediately felt her stomach turning. She felt another drip of water landing against her forehead. She wiped it with the back of her hand. She heard drops falling against the puddle of blood. When she observed it, she almost fainted and threw up. It wasn't water that was falling from the ceiling it was blood.

She looked up, still hoping that there were really holes in the roof. Instead of holes, she found her three remaining teammates' mutilated bodies plastered on the roof. They were held by a number of different gadgets.

Tears began falling from her eyes but that didn't stop her from making out the very clear message that had been written in the center with blood: _'Followers live; Rebels die.'_

She gasped and ran out of the room but by the time she found Sky, he wasn't alone. "Did you like the welcome home present I made for you?"

"You're sick, Rogue." Sydney spat, nothing but venom in her voice.

Rogue clicked her tongue and made her minions bring Sky forward. "No, you're the one who's sick. I am you, silly. We are two peas in a pod."

"I will never be like you." She hissed.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Rogue grabbed Sky by the arm and put her arm around his neck, holding him tightly against her. She smiled and stroked his hair gently. Sydney didn't give in to her even though she really wanted to kill her, for good. "Loss is something you never really get over."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll see." She smiled and kept stroking Sky's hair. Sky groaned and even tried to let himself free a few times. Her hold on him was too strong. This Rogue was different from the one he had met before. The other Rogue was more human, this one was just a cold-blooded villain who felt nothing. "The loss of someone close to you can drive you to losing yourself."

"Don't listen to her!" Rogue put her other hand over Sky's mouth.

"What do you want?" It was official; she wanted to rip Rogue's head off with her bare hands. But she couldn't make a move until he was free of her hold. She came closer. "Stop playing games with me."

"All right then, we'll just have skip to the fun part." She let go of Sky's neck and took a step back as both Rangers reunited. Syd closed her eyes for a few seconds as she embraced Sky, knowing that this encounter with Rogue was far from over. She suspected the villain had some more stuff planned out for them.

What happened next was completely unexpected. As she hugged Sky, she felt a warm, sticky substance spreading through her blouse. Before she could do anything, she felt Sky's body go limp on her arms. She gasped when she saw the villain's sword stuck on his back. She placed the body down on the ground gently and slowly. She then removed the sword, and held his head in her arms, cradling him as she cried.

Rogue kept a smile on her face through the whole ordeal. She took a few steps forward. Sydney glared at her. "I'm going to kill you."

"Go ahead, princess." She taunted as she took out a pair of daggers from her belt.

The Pink Ranger took the sword used to kill Sky and held it like she knew what she was doing. Both girls began a vicious attack against each other. Five minutes into the fight and both already had several cuts and scrapes through their bodies. After a few more minutes, Sydney finally got a shot to put an end to Rogue after hitting her in the face, disorienting her for a few minutes. The Pink Ranger stabbed her in the stomach and stared at her. Rogue let out a small laugh. "You did good."

"What?"

"I was just testing you." She grinned and took held her daggers. She stabbed Sydney ferociously and turned her head when she saw her body roll over to a position next to hers. "You passed with flying colors."

Sydney's mouth felt like tit was full of cotton balls. She couldn't feel it or any part of her body. As soon as she felt that she had taken her last breath, her body jolted awake back at the tank in the Academy. She gasped loudly and put her hand over her stomach, which hurt like it had really been stabbed.

Kat came by her side before she could call for help. She helped her climb out and put a towel around the trembling girl's body. She didn't even dare ask if she was all right. It was evident she was quite shaken up. Sky came by her side and gave her a small hug. Sydney returned the hug and stepped back after a few seconds. Lucky for them, the Commander stepped inside just a few seconds after the embrace. Sydney sat on Sky's bed awkwardly, pretending to be looking at her nails while Kat removed the probes her head.

The remaining Rangers came pouring in seconds later. Z hugged her friend and smiled. "I'm glad you're ok."

"I'm glad to be back." She confessed weakly.

Bridge poked her shoulder. "It's ready and you are going to love it! Boom, bring it in!"

The Commander quirked his eyebrow and looked at Doctor Manx, who in return shrugged. Kat's assistant came in a few seconds later with RIC following in his footsteps; he let out a bark and made his way to where the Pink Ranger was sitting. "This is RIC 2.0, everyone."

"How does RIC 2.0 differ from RIC 1.0." Jack asked.

"Well, the sound problems have been fixed. RIC also comes with a CD player, a high-end movie player, and… a fridge for our drinks." Bridge grinned as RIC turned around and raised a part of his back, exposing a soda that Jack grabbed.

"Does this invention have a point apart from being a perfect party accessory?" Sky asked as he crossed his arms. Sydney nudged him in the elbow.

"I'm also happy to inform you that RIC 2.0 is also a very useful weapon once we assemble our weapons together." Bridge announced proudly.

"We combined the technology used for containing criminals in your morphers with the one used in your weapons. This new version attacks _and _contains criminals." Boom informed happily. Sydney stood up and grinned. She gave each of them a hug.

Just as they were about to celebrate over the newest addition to their team, the alarms went off again. "I think it's time you test your new weapon, Rangers. The alien is back."

Jack looked over his shoulder, "Ready?"

"Ready!" The rest of the Rangers shouted.

"SPD Emergency!"


	23. A Little Mud Never Hurt Anyone

_Author's Note: So Smallville has ended and I have no idea what show I'm going to watch on Fridays at that hour. I will forever miss this show and its great cast, especially it's now deceased Tess Mercer/Lutessa Lena Luthor or as I like to call her, a kick-ass villain-turned- hero. Chloe Sullivan, you will forever be in my heart and mind. She inspired me to cut my hair and donate it to a local charity to make wigs. I love my new bob! And to Lois Lane, keep on being sarcastic and a true hero without powers. _

_**Chapter 23- A Little Mud Has Never Hurt Anyone**_

Upon arriving at the scene, the Rangers took their weapons out and pointed them at Shellshock, the alien who had trapped them in their dreams and left them to the mercy of their own imaginations. The alien just laughed loudly and began shooting its infamous poisonous spikes. The Rangers dodged and blasted the spikes directed toward them.

Shellshock didn't seem surprised, almost like he knew they would eventually figure him out. Lucky for him, he didn't need to fight this battle all by himself. A little help from the Troobian Emperor and Broodwing was all he needed to defeat the Rangers, or so he boasted to Grumm a few hours ago. He made a small metallic orange orb materialize in his hand and pressed a button. When the orb hit the ground, another one of the Emperor's creations came crawling out. The Rangers had seen their fair share of Krybots over the past few weeks, but this one seemed different. And it wasn't only because it was orange.

When the orange Krybot-like robot began attacking, they now knew what it was capable of. The Krybots not only lacked the orange, they also lacked the fighting and agility that this one had. It moved more gracefully and packed a much stronger punch than the standard Troobian robot. The determination was also present. While the normal Krybot attacked them mindlessly and completely unaware of the opponent's moves, this one seemed to have the ability to fully dodge its opponents' attacks.

After a few minutes into the battle, the Pink Ranger took a few steps back into an alley and fell to the ground. The fight wasn't what tired her out, but the previous savings she had done had been enough for her. She grabbed her blaster and began firing some rounds at the alien, grabbing its attention. Shellshock walked over to her and kicked the blaster far out of her reach. She groaned and tried to reach for her Deltamax striker, but as soon as he put her hand on her belt, the alien turtle stepped on her hand.

"I don't think so, Princess."

"Don't call me Princess." She snarled through her helmet.

Shellshock didn't waste any time and fired three spikes at the defenseless Ranger. She let out a small scream as she felt her suit disappear. Lucky for her, the Ranger suit had taken most of the damage and destroyed the spikes. But now she had nothing to protect herself with. The ugly turtle let out another laugh which was soon cut short when someone fired a few shots at him. The stranger opened fire again after a few seconds, which caused him to release Syd's hand. She smiled when she who had fired.

"Thank you, RIC."

The dog leaped over to her side and barked, wagging its tail. Sydney retrieved her laser gun and pointed it at Shellshock. "Don't move."

She bent down and cuffed him, walking back to the others, who were still fighting the orange robot. She had only seen one of those before and they were only in the process of being developed. Grumm had certainly begun to step up his game.

"It is an Orangehead Krybot."

The Blue Ranger ran to her side. "Syd, are you ok?"

"I'm fine; I'm just weak from the dreams and the fight." She stated as she leaned against a brick wall and took a deep breath. Then, she ran over to the Orangehead and punched its torso with her fist, which was turned into brick. The robot stumbled backwards and kept its eyes on the Pink Ranger as she walked away. The Green, Yellow and Red Rangers didn't lose any time and took out their respective Deltamax strikers and began firing at it until it became nothing more than a pile of machine parts.

Sydney let out a loud gasp when her body hit the ground again. The Blue Ranger demorphed and quickly came by her side. The Yellow Ranger approached the criminal and ran a judgment scan on Shellshock. A red X appeared on the screen. "Guilty, as I suspected."

"I have an idea." The Green Ranger whistled. RIC ran to where they were standing and transformed in a matter of seconds into a weapon they had never seen before. "I call it the Canine Cannon."

"Judgment mode!" The Canine Cannon fired a bright shot of light directed at Shellshock after Bridge pronounced the words. And soon, the criminal was trapped inside a containment card. The other Rangers demorphed and came to their friend's side.

"Guys, I'm fine." The blonde repeated. She recovered just enough strength to get back on her feet.

"No, what you are is tired." Jack responded. "You need to rest."

"I'll only go if Bridge promises that I can be the next to use the Cannon."

_**The Terror**_

In a dark corner of the galaxy, the Troobian leader sat at his throne, both disappointed and proud of the scheme he had had planned to get his servant back. He had now made a significant advancement by invading her dreams and modeling them to his own will with a little help from his new ally, Dreamcatcher.

Dreamcatcher kneeled before him when she entered the throne room. He rose from his throne and came to stand before her. "We're making progress. She'll be back in no time."

"We have to get her out of there before she gets too attached." Grumm shook his head at her suggestion.

"You forget, she's already too close." He chuckled. "Feelings are one of humanity's many weaknesses."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"It's no fun if we get her back before the right time comes." He sighed and looked her in the eyes. "You see; the closer she gets to the Rangers, the more she'll hurt when she's here, back with us."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Exactly, my dear." He paused and then continued, "The more she hurts, the more I'll enjoy ripping her heart out."

"You mean that figuratively, right?"

"Of course, why would I kill my own creation?" He extended his hand. She took it and stood up.

"I think I have a plan, my Lord." The skeleton paid closed attention as Dreamcatcher unraveled her plan.

_**SPD Academy**_

After getting a well deserved nap, Sydney went into her bathroom to make herself presentable. She applied some makeup and began brushing her curly blond locks. Something curious caught her eye as she brushed a strand back. A lock of her hair looked extremely light, almost white. _'That's weird, it looks like…'_

As she examined her hair more thoroughly, she realized the white-blond wasn't something random. In the short time she had been checking her mane out; she had found that almost 30% of her golden curls had been replaced with the new color. She made a ponytail with a pink elastic band and prayed that no one would notice.

She wondered how her hair had lost its original shine and color. Z sometimes made pranks, but at that point, Sydney knew that he friend would never do this to her.

She exited her bedroom and made her way to the REC Room to find her roommate. Z was going through the pages of a book when the blonde walked inside. "There's something wrong with me, Z."

She immediately put the book down. Syd's face had distraught written all over it. "What is it?"

"That's the problem. I don't know exactly."

The Yellow Ranger just gave her a quizzical look and followed her outside to the fountain, where they both sat. "Something happened this morning while I was brushing my hair."

"Let me guess, a few hairs came off your pretty little hair. It happens to everyone." Z said in an attempt to lighten up the somber mood that the conversation had taken. Apparently, her friend didn't take the joke so well. Sydney just glared at her and crossed her arms.

"And I thought I was the sarcastic one." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I'll just go straight to the point."

The brunette listened carefully as she told her story. When she was done, she lowered her voice and whispered, "You have to promise that you won't tell anyone, not even Sky."

She hesitated for a moment before accepting but ended up agreeing in keeping it a secret between them. Even though Z couldn't relate to what Syd was going through, she understood how difficult her life had been and the position she was in now, trying to find her own identity and which side she stood on, wasn't any easier.

They both parted ways a few seconds later. Sydney got on her feet and began walking towards her room. She intended to go for a run in the training course to get her mind off things. There was something about the mud that just seemed appealing to her at the time, even though she had never been a big fan of the course or the mud.

She made her way to the course after changing into her sportswear and grinned when she saw Sky wiping mud off his blue SPD t-shirt. "It won't come out until you wash it."

"I know that." He muttered under his breath.

"Who did you piss off now?" He had a tendency to get on people's nerves and push them over the edge. This was mainly due to the reason that he was just so anal and such a perfectionist.

"I made a cadet run the course twice. I knew he could make a better time if he pushed himself."

She scoffed, "I wouldn't have thrown mud at you."

"I know that. You would run and make a better time." He stated convincingly.

"No." Syd smiled and approached him. "I would have thrown you in the mud and made you run that second lap for me. Have you ever tried running with your clothes soaked in mud?"

He stayed silent, "Wait, don't answer that."

Sky smiled warmly at her comments and took off his blue jacket. Sydney could tell by the expression on his face what he wanted at that moment. He wanted to have yet another race in the course. She didn't exactly object, she needed to feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins and the rush she felt when she ran was exactly what she needed to forget her troubles.

Sky took off without telling her, loudly laughing as she tried to keep up. _Cheater. _She had never known that the Blue Ranger had a mischievous side to him. He certainly didn't have that type of reputation among the cadets, who considered him a by-the-book, class- A jerk but an excellent Ranger. But he had many layers, just like her. The layers of Sky's tough exterior were beginning to disappear. Sydney was beginning to see the real Sky, the one who she had played with when she was little.

They both reached a small clearing surrounded by grass at the edges. The mud was especially thick in that area, making it harder to run fast. Both their muscles ached and their throats screamed for water, but not one of them was ready to back down. They exchanged a challenging glance and resumed their race after the brief, almost nonexistent, rest.

_It's the survival of the fittest, _Sky thought to himself as he ran ahead of her. He occasionally looked back to see how she was doing. It seemed that after each step he took, she was literally behind him, which in turn made him go as fast as he could. He could feel his heart beating in his chest and the rush he was feeling could only compare to the first time he had gone over the mud course. It was one of the best and worse experiences of his life.

_You can rest when you're dead, Greyson_. Her body felt like it could fall apart at any given moment, but letting him win was not an option. Losing was never an option, that's what Grumm always told her. Thinking of her former mentor was something she did every day, thinking of his next move, trying to predict his plans… It could get frustrating. She got her mind back on the current objective. Kicking Sky's ass. Now that would be fun and something she could brag about for the next few days just for the sake of it. A small smile appeared on her face when a mental picture of his face when she beat him popped up in her mind.

She suddenly felt a rush of energy rushing through her body that no longer made her feel human. Sydney now felt like a cheetah running to catch its prey in the wild Savannah. She locked her gaze on Sky, trying to predict what his next move would be. _I would kill for Bridge's powers. Anything to beat him would be useful at this moment. _

But not even having Bridge's ability could have predicted what happened next. While running through the mud, she didn't notice a log in the middle of the path. She tripped over it and landed on her stomach. Grabbing the sleeve of her pink shirt, she wiped the sticky substance from her eyes and groaned. _I just fell because I couldn't stop looking at him, _she thought to herself. All her hopes for winning had vanished at the moment her face hit the mud. And the fact that her opponent had just finished the course could also contribute to that. She groaned and crossed her arms as she made her way to where he stood.

He had a bright smile on his face. Just what she needed. "Stop gloating."

"I'm not gloating. I'm just happy." He shot her a grin. In return, she glared at him.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Fine. You won."

"I even got a better time than the last time I ran. I beat my own time by a full minute, can you believe it?" He said proudly. Sydney thought that he was almost a bit too nonchalant about her losing.

"Feel free to stop rubbing it in whenever you want…" She was interrupted when Z joined them. The brunette couldn't help but laugh at Syd's appearance, much to her dismay.

She stifled her laughter after a few seconds of non-stop laughing with the Blue Ranger. "What happened to you?"

She replied sarcastically, "Oh, you know, I went to the spa and got a facial with mud. It really does leave your skin soft as a baby's bottom. Want to try?"

Sydney took some mud off her face with her index finger and placed it close to the other girl's face. "The offer's tentative but I think I'll pass."

Sky cleared his throat and boasted, "She's just pissed because I beat her. We had a race earlier and for a moment there, I thought she would win but then, Sydney…"

"I tripped over a stupid log and he won." She interrupted.

Z and Sky both began laughing again. The unexpected happened when Sydney joined in. She had come to realize that losing like that _was_ something worth laughing over. When their morphers beeped, they became quiet and listened to Kat's instructions.

"Cadet Delgado, I need you to go to Luna Park immediately. Cadets Carson and Landors need assistance." Z closed her morpher and made her way to the parking lot while the other two Rangers awaited instructions.

"Cadets Tate and Drew, report to the Command Center for further instructions." Kat's voice died down.

"Can you stall Kat for a few minutes? I can't go to the Command Center looking like this." She motioned to her clothes and her face and began walking away. Sky looked down at his clothes. He shrugged and ran to the command center. When he entered Syd was already there, looking clean and presentable. Her hair was wet and she even seemed to have had a bit of time to apply some makeup.

She shot him a smug smile, "Gee, I didn't know that mud was part of the uniform."

"Stop gloating." He muttered under his breath.

Both saluted Commander Cruger when he entered the Command Center. Sky began to feel uncomfortable when the Commander noted his appearance. He held his head down. "I need you two at the diamond deposits."

"But that's, like, out in the desert."

Cruger raised his eyebrow, "Is there a problem, Cadet Drew?"

"No, I was just saying." The Blue Ranger forced himself to stifle his laughter. When the Commander turned around, she punched his shoulder. She put a smile on her face when he faced them again.

He put a video on one of the screens and pointed at it, "Morgana and other members of Grumm's army have been spotted by the security cameras around the area. This has been going for some days now."

"We'll head there now, Sir." Sky piped up. The Commander cleared his throat and pointed at Sky's outfit. "I meant, we'll head there after I change."

Sydney giggled and winked as he walked away. After a few minutes, they met at the garage. "I'm driving."

She motioned for him to take the driver's seat and gave him a smug look. She may have lost the race in the course, but one thing that Sky shouldn't have done was underestimate her.


	24. My Sacrifice

_Author's Note: Thank you for all your reviews! You have no idea how happy it makes me to read every single one of them. Reviews always make my day. _

**Chapter 24- My Sacrifice**

On the way to outskirts of the city, Sydney couldn't stop grinning about what had gone down at the Command Center while Sky drove the jeep. She put her black aviator shades on and lowered the temperature of the air conditioner. Sky instantly pressed a button to make it higher. He was just angry because she had outsmarted him. Besides, they were going to be out in the sun for most of the day, if not all day long, without something to cool them. She pressed the button again and observed his reaction. He groaned and made the temperature higher again. It was going to be a long day in the desert for both of them.

But he wasn't just angry because of her victory, there was something else bothering him. It was quite evident in the way he had been acting for the past hour. His driving had been anything but perfect in the past 15 minutes. Sky had almost managed to run over an old lady, crash against a truck and skip a red light in the first 10 minutes. His anger got the best of him at times. It was either a quality or one of his worst defects, depending on the situation. The long awkward silence that had been reigning over them was finally broken by Syd when they arrived.

"Is there something bothering you?"

He parked the car and turned to her, "No. I'm fine."

She stepped out of the car and sat on top of a crate while he paced. He was apparently keeping guard in case Morgana or any of Grumm's aliens popped up. The "I'm-keeping-guard" routine went on for another hour until she got bored of watching him. She decided that he was the worst person to be paired in for a long mission. If she had gotten paired up with any of the others, they would at least have a decent conversation that lasted more than two sentences.

"If you keep pacing like that, you're going to dig a hole in the ground." She piped up.

"And if you keep talking, I'm going to get distracted and those diamonds will go missing." She gasped at his words. Sydney opened her mouth to protest, but decided to be the bigger person and ignore him. She simply sat there and observed him. He seemed deep in thought about something.

She rolled her eyes, "This is getting annoying. We are going to be here for a while, you better start talking or I swear I will leave right now."

"Be my guest." He muttered coolly.

The blond girl shook her head and approached him, "I know what you're trying to do, Tate. It's not going to work."

She knew he would try to trick her into fleeing the scene and going to help out the others. She was beginning to imagine how Cruger would reprimand her and patronize her about her actions. But the worst part would be the Blue Ranger celebrating his victory while she mopped the floors. Or worse, wash the windows like Jack.

She took a sip from her water bottle. "Careful, we only have four of those."

Again, she couldn't believe him. He couldn't sustain a casual conversation but he could be a jerk at the drop of a dime. She was getting flustered, she didn't like that. When she got angry, the darkness overpowered her. She couldn't allow herself to hurt Sky, no matter how much of a pompous ass he was being. She took a deep breath and spoke a bit more calmly, "Just tell me what's bothering you. Talk to me."

"I don't even know why Cruger sent me here. I'm supposed to be helping the others, not babysitting a bunch of diamonds." He wasn't making any progress on her book. At that rate, he would soon be classified as 'undatable'.

She let out a loud sigh, "I don't want to do this either, but Cruger sent us here for a reason."

"And that reason is more important than defeating Grumm?"

"Nothing is more important than defeating him." She confessed. "Believe me, its not like he sent us here to stop Morgana from making a wedding ring with these diamonds. If she's stealing diamonds, there must be a reason behind it."

"Vanity?" He asked snidely. She let out a dry laugh before replying, "No, she doesn't do things that he doesn't order her to do. She's like his little lap dog. Ever since I can remember, she's been extremely obedient and loyal."

"And how exactly did that girl come to get mixed up with Grumm. The girl who was with you the first time, Mora… she seemed so sweet and innocent." Sydney shrugged.

"I didn't stick around long enough to hear her life story."

"Do you think…" He took a deep breath, "…that Morgana can be helped? Be turned to our side, I mean."

"I don't think so."

"You're just biased because of what she did to you." She stood up and tried to relax by closing her eyes. This was not going to be a moment of weakness for her. "I am not biased, Sky. I have known her for most of my life. She's too deeply involved in Grumm's business to leave it now."

"Well, it was possible to turn _you _to our side."

"Because I'm human, Sky! Morgana may come from the same species but any side of her that was human is long gone." She exclaimed loudly. She sat down next to him again and pulled her knees up to her chest. She was pleasantly surprised when he took hold of her hand.

"You're right, I'm sorry." He told her gently. She leaned in slowly and placed a hand on his cheek. He made the first move and grazed his lips on her. Their 'soon-to-be' kiss got interrupted by a blast that sent them flying a few meters back. Sydney groaned when her face body made contact with the sandy, rocky surface. This was nothing new. When something really good started to happen in her life, fate always intervened and made something equally bad happen. She wiped the sand from her eyes quickly and saw that their attacker was standing in front of her. Her blue gaze began inspecting the alien from head to toe.

"Morgana." She hissed furiously as she stood up.

The older girl cackled in response, "Don't let me interrupt your kissing session with your boyfriend."

"He's not…"

"Not officially." That earned her a glare from Syd. "You can keep sucking face for all I care. You would make my job so much easier.

Sky got on his feet and assumed a fighting stance. Morgana rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. An army of Krybots, including a Blue Head Krybot, materialized right before their eyes. "I'll take care of Morgana."

Sky nodded and began battling the Krybots while Syd took on her biggest rival apart from Grumm. Both girls engaged in hand-to-hand combat straight off the bat. Even though the Pink Ranger was more agile and limber than Morgana, the older girl was definitely stronger and had a very powerful left hook. A punch in the stomach from the brunette made her fall on her knees. It had knocked the wind out of her. She had almost forgotten how strong she could be when she meant it. She got back on her feet and start going at it again.

While the girls battled each other, Sky was busy getting rid of the robotic soldiers Morgana had called in. He began fighting without morphing first; he wanted to save the best for last. He had a change of heart after taking down the first 10 Krybots that had crossed his path. Creating a single force field took up a lot of his energy. In the situation he was stuck in, he was forcing himself to create at least two per group of five Krybots. His stamina was running out faster than he wanted. It was time to get the heavy artillery out.

"SPD Emergency!" Sky shouted. In a question of seconds, his blue suit materialized onto his body.

Syd kept an eye on him from a distance. It looked like he was doing better since morphing. She turned her gaze back to her opponent and punched her in the face as hard as she could to knock her out. Morgana grinned and aimed one of energy blasts directly at Syd. The petite girl dodged it skillfully. But before she could take notice, the other girl had already sent another blast at her direction, making stumble back a few feet. "Two can play this game."

"Go ahead." Morgana taunted.

Sydney couldn't help herself when she was mad. Her skin began prickling her, urging her to use the darkness. It almost never happened that the darkness took over her, but this was the easy of getting rid of her opponent so she could help out her teammate. A small blast materialized on her hand. She had never been more excited to use her powers than she was at the moment. A few seconds later, the blast hit Morgana's chest.

Walking up to her body, Sydney took out her morpher and opened it. "I believe its judgment time."

A kick in the legs made the Pink Ranger fall on her back. She stood up quickly and decided she had had enough, she morphed. The villain took out a shiny silver bracelet from her pocket and attached it to her wrist. The bracelet was engraved with some symbols in an alien dialect. "I have my own suit too."

Sydney scoffed, "That sack of bones only gave it to you because he knows you can't beat me without it. I certainly don't need an upgrade to kick your ass in battle."

Morgana whispered something in a language Syd couldn't make out. A purple glow emerged from the symbols and in the blink of an eye, the brunette's dress had been replaced with a black and purple suit. The sleeves and the sides were a rich pruple while the center was a deep black. The suit was topped off with a silver armor plate that covered her neck and shoulders.

As soon as Morgana put on her matching helmet, the battle between pink and purple resumed. The battle was even for the first thirty minutes, no one had the upper hand yet. That quickly changed. Morgana was beginning to struggle to keep up with Syd's skills and fell to her knees, her power suit disappearing. Sydney wasted no time and ran over to the Blue Ranger, who was on his knees.

"I'll take the Bluehead, you take the rest of the Krybots." She helped him up and grabbed her Deltamax Striker. That Bluehead wasn't going to get even 10 meters away from her. She fired a few shots at the robot, leaving a dent in its armor. She moved in closer and positioned her weapon in front of her body, assuming a defensive posture. After a few punches directed at her, she knew it was time to take out her blaster. Combining it with her Deltamax Striker was ideal for a long range attack.

She stood back a few feet and began firing away, trying not to engage in physical contact. The former battle had weakened her severely. She figured that by not engaging in any type of physical action, she would get some of her stamina back. She got down on one knee, closed one of her eyes to aim at her target and fired a shot directed at the Bluehead's chest. It stumbled backwards, but it wasn't over yet so she fired another one at its head, leaving a massive hole. The robot crumpled onto the floor and completely shut down.

She left the crumpled robot behind and joined Sky. They both demorphed together. He gave her a high five and grinned. "You ok?"

She simply nodded and wiped the seat of her brow with the sleeve of her uniform. Sydney looked back and raised her eyebrow. "Hey, where did she go?"

A small shake in the ground made them turn around. Before them was a new type of Krybot neither of them had seen before. This new drone had a similar body to the other two, but his head and protective armor was orange. Its head was surrounded by large spikes and was equipped with its own sword. Before any of them could react, the Krybot raised its sword and exclaimed, "Triforce Shockwave!"

The result was a massive wave of energy. Both of them groaned as they hit the ground several feet from their original spot. She put a hand over her chest and let out a small scream while trying to get up. The massive output of energy had probably fractured one of her bones. Morgana appeared in front of her, smiling smugly.

A small glint in the ground caught Syd's eye. She stretched her hand forward and gathered a small pile of dirt and pulled it back. She kept her head pressed to the ground. When Morgana blasted them, Sydney stood up and shoved exposed her fist. It was now solid diamond. The shiny rock deflected most of the blast and had merely caused damage. "Diamonds really are a girl's best friend."

Just as they were about to morph, Sydney received a Triforce Shockwave when her hand turned back to normal. She tried to look up, but the bright sunshine wasn't exactly helping her headache. Every time she blinked, dark spots clouded her vision. She told herself she couldn't pass out, no matter how tired she felt. Her body began going numb, first were her legs and then her arms. The last thing she saw before falling unconscious was Morgana disappearing, along with the Krybot and Sky.

The aroma of fresh human blood and the prickling of raindrops against her skin awoke her an hour later. She pressed her hand to her forehead and looked at her blood-soaked fingers. _Probably a concussion, I'll get Kat to fix it when I get back. _

Her body was in excruciating pain; every little move she made sent a shockwave of pain through her whole being. It took her a good five minutes to achieve a standing position. She looked around and discovered she wasn't in the desert anymore. _That is if I ever get back to SPD alive_, she thought.

She took a few seconds to clear the haze surrounding her mind and took a look around. She was on some kind of underground storage room. Underground was an understatement. She was trapped inside a dirt cave. She looked up and saw a hole on the cave's roof. She then realized she was not on the desert but under it. The rain was pouring into the cave from the hole. The more she observed, the more curious she got.

Her attention went to a pair of large silver racks holding transparent containers with some green goo inside. She took one of the containers and opened the lid. After collecting a few samples, she opened her morpher and sent an alert to RIC. The dog always helped out on situations like these.

In a matter of minutes, RIC popped his head and barked when it recognized her. With her had transformed into a diamond again, she punched a hole in the cave wall to put her feet in. After making several holes to climb up, she finally got to the opening in the roof. She stuck her arms out, but she couldn't pull herself up, RIC bit her uniform's sleeve and gradually pulled her out. Syd was just glad when it was over; her rib cage had never been in so much pain. She lied down on her back and let the rain soothe her pain, even if it was just for a few seconds. She stood up, still pretty much in pain and walked over to where Sky had parked the jeep. Except that there wasn't any jeep parked.

She rubbed her eyes and groaned. What she was about to do next was probably the most unorthodox thing she had done in her entire career at SPD and the Commander and Kat would probably punish her, but at that moment the only thing she could think about was finding Sky. She summoned the Delta Runner 5 to her location. She hoped getting to the Academy would only take a few minutes. She sighed and grabbed RIC before getting inside the control cabin and piloting the monstrous vehicle back to the Zord Bay at the Academy. And as she had originally predicted, it had only taken her a few minutes to arrive. She just hoped that Kat wouldn't notice the way she had used the signboard on her Zord to redirect the traffic.

When the Command Center's doors opened to reveal Syd, the other three cadets sighed and walked up to her and stared at her misdemeanor. She was still soaking wet, dirty and bleeding. "Syd, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The battle got a bit rough out there." Sydney responded. Z thought otherwise.

"You're bleeding." The Yellow Ranger was about to drag her to the Medical Wing when Cruger and Kat entered the room. She looked down at the floor to avoid the glares from the Commander. The last thing she needed today was someone telling her what she had done. It was true that her acts deserved a punishment and she would deal with the consequences after she found her friend.

Cruger stood in front of her and cleared his throat, "Would you mind telling me why your Delta Runner was out cruising in the streets?"

_No idea. _"I needed to get back from the desert." She muttered quietly, her cheeks growing red.

"You almost caused three traffic accidents today! May I just tell you how irresponsible that was?" The tiny girl gazed into his eyes.

She nodded, "I'm sorry about that. But I swear that I didn't do this in vain. I passed out after I hit my head and just before I feel unconscious, I saw Sky disappear with Morgana and an Orangehead Krybot. I couldn't find the Jeep and you know the rest of the story."

Kat sighed, "Well, lets take care of the priorities first. Any ideas about where Morgana could have taken Sky?"

"Apart from the ship, you mean?" Kat responded with a nod. "I don't know, I mean, she could have taken him to any planet in the universe. She's unpredictable."

"What do we do now?" Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The petite girl sighed, "I know what to do, but you're going to like it."

"You don't mean…." Sydney quickly interrupted Bridge's sentence. "Yes, Bridge. I mean to do just that."

Z and Jack raised their eyebrows. "We have three options: We can begin a fruitless search around the galaxy for Sky, we can also wait for Morgana to attack again or I can go in get him out myself."

"You're not trading yourself for Cadet Tate. I won't allow it, Miss Drew. You're a valuable part of this Squad and the Academy." The Commander protested loudly. The last statement had obviously gotten to him. Sydney walked close to him and shook her head, "Not anymore. I'm quitting SPD."

She stripped the badge off her uniform and handed her morpher to Kat. "I can't allow that sack of bones to have Sky. I won't be able to live with myself."

The Pink Ranger put on a poker face and decided to save her tears for later. She closed her eyes and tried to relax as she felt the darkness coming onto her. Bridge noticed the girl's hands shaking and grabbed Z to drag her back. A few moments later, her hands stopped trembling and she opened her eyes.

"If Grumm wants me, he'll have me." She stood in front of Z and gave her a hug and whispered, "Don't let anyone any one have my morpher. I'll come back, I promise."

Z hugged her back and asked, "When will you be back?"

"I don't know, hopefully, it will be soon." She paused and let a few tears run down her eyes. "Thank you for everything, Z."

Her last sentence caused Z to also spill a few tears. Syd broke the embrace and grinned at Bridge, "I admire you for being so optimistic. I wish I could be like that sometimes. Thank you for always seeing the good in me."

"And Jack, you're a great team leader. Don't let Sky's comments get to you." She grinned and let out a small laugh. "And if he ever bothers you, give him a kick in the ass for me."

Jack laughed and gave her a melancholic smile. "Commander, Kat, it was an honor working for you. I'm sorry."

"I understand how hard this must be for you, Cadet Drew." Cruger expressed soulfully, almost as if he was talking to a daughter. "I don't agree with your decision, but I respect it. And if you ever need help, we'll always be there for you."

Kat spoke shortly afterwards, "I'm just glad we got you back, even if it was for a short time. It's an honor to meet you. And remember, never hesitate to come back. We're your second family."

"Will you please inform my parents?" Doctor Manx gave her a small nod. "I'll be out of your way as soon as I get a shower and change. Thank you for everything."

She took one long look at the Command Center and smiled weakly before exiting. She would always cherish this place and the people in it. She would never forget them.

After showering and getting dressed, she left the building without looking back. She lingered outside for a few minutes and then continued to make her way to the park. It was still raining, but she didn't care in the least.

The rain was the only thing soothing the pain, both physical and mental, that she was experiencing. Her hair wasn't the only change her body had been through lately. The brand on her back had been stinging like hell lately and it just seemed to get blacker and bigger every time she looked at it in the mirror. Her mind wasn't helping out either. She's been experiencing severe headaches and dizziness, but she didn't to say anything, she didn't want to be stuck in the Medical Wing.

She looked for an isolated area at the park and fell to the floor on her knees. The pain began traveling through her whole body. She groaned loudly when it reached her brain. She gasped when it stopped moments later. Morgana appeared before her and smiled. "I was hoping you would understand my signs."

"Where is Sky?" Morgana snapped her fingers. A bloody and bruised Sky materialized seconds later. Sydney let out a small scream and crawled over to him. He gave her a weak smile in response before passing out. Her blue eyes filled with tears and she simply kissed his forehead, "I love you, more than you'll ever know."

The brunette grabbed her by the arm and rolled her eyes, "Cut the soap opera, you're depressing me. We're leaving now."

Sydney pressed a button on Sky's Morpher to send an alarm to the Academy and kissed his cheek. Morgana got her onto her feet and practically dragged her across the meadow. A bright light engulfed both girls before disappearing.

Aboard the Terror, a familiar face with a pair glowing eyes greeted her, "Welcome back, Sydney."


	25. Savage Part 1

_Author's Note: Today is my birthday! I'm finally 18, which means I'm legal (at least where I'm from!). Happy birthday to me and I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

**Chapter 25- Savage Part 1**

Pain, both emotional and physical. That was the first thing he experienced upon waking up. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the bright light hovering over his face. He tried to speak but no sound would come out. A nasty groan emerged from his throat. That's when he felt the plastic tube inside his throat. He shifted his gaze to the right side and found a button that would send a silent alarm to any of the medical staff.

Lucky for him, he didn't have to reach for it; Z had already taken notice and alerted Kat. Doctor Felix and Kat came running through the doors seconds later. They checked his vital signs and proceeded to remove the breathing tube shoved down his throat.

"Sky, I need you to give me a loud cough so I can pull it out." Kat commanded gently. Sky did as ordered and delivered a cough powerful enough to lift the tube. She pulled it out slowly while Dr. Felix got a glass of water for him.

The Blue Ranger took a deep breath and spoke in a coarse voice, "Where's Syd?"

A loud clang resounded in the background. Apparently, Doctor Felix had accidentally dropped his medical instruments when he heard the question. Kat sat on chair beside him and adjusted his bed to a sitting position. She tried to make up her mind on whether to tell him at that moment or avoid the question and let him find out for himself. She sighed and looked him in the eye, "You've been through a lot, Cadet Tate. Its probably best if you rest."

"Where is she, Kat?" The tone of his voice had risen drastically. She couldn't blame him for being angry. She was angry, too. When she didn't answer, he came to realize that the reason she was avoiding the question was because she was… gone. Again. His heart sank to a new low. His blue eyes filled with tears as she came to the realization that he would probable never see her again. The girl he had grown up with. The girl he had fallen in love with and his best friend. She was gone.

"She's not here anymore, is she?" The dead silence that had fallen over the room gave him his answer. Z came inside and relieved the doctor from her post. She said nothing. Nothing she said would bring her back. Instead, she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get her back."

Sky gave her a weak smile. "We don't even know where she is. How exactly do you plan on bringing her back?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." Z confessed. "But I did make a promise to her and I intend on keeping it."

Just as she was about to leave, his voice stopped her. "What promise?"

"That we would get her back."

He wiped his tears and smiled weakly. She waved before the doors closed. Doctor Felix readjusted his bed and coerced Sky to fall asleep again. He protested at first, but the doctor soon convinced him he wouldn't be of much use out in the battlefield in his condition. Sky took his advice and drifted off to sleep with a million thoughts in his head.

_The more rest I get, the faster I can get back to training. The more training I get, the more experience I'll get…._

**The Terror**

She was back in his territory. He was in control now, there was no denying it. She hated him with every fiber of her body. The Troobian took one look at her and didn't even try to disguise his disgust. Morgana held her arms behind her back, sneering at her with delight. She was like a vampire that fed off people's humiliation and disgrace.

Syd didn't even struggle or fought back. Resistance was futile now. This was her destiny, what she had been born to do. Even though she didn't believe his words then, she was certainly doing so now. After dismissing Morgana, he grabbed her arm with his bony fingers and dragged her to the throne room. Sydney kept her composure but he could smell her fear. He walked to his throne and sat down.

"Kneel before me." Grumm demanded, raising his staff.

She responded with a scoff, "Or what? You'll kill me? You forget that without me you have nothing but a bunch of robotic junk that serve as soldiers, a spoiled 20-year-old woman who also happens to be a 10-year-old who draws aliens for a living and that alien with a tank for a head you call your provider."

"They both serve a purpose." He lowered his staff. "I may have raised and trained you to be my second in command, but that doesn't mean you can't be easily replaced by someone just as capable as you."

A figure stepped out of the darkness and let out a small chuckle. She couldn't quite make out who it was, but it certainly wasn't human. "She doesn't look like much."

Sydney hadn't even met the person or alien behind the voice but she knew one thing already. She hated her. It was a her, the tone of the voice was certainly feminine. When the figure stepped into the light, it didn't look as threatening as she originally thought. The alien's white body was covered by a rich purple robe with long, flowing sleeves. The features of her face, except for her bright green eyes, were hidden behind a matching turban. She circled the girl for a few seconds and chuckled again. The human girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "I don't get the joke."

"I'm just trying to figure out if you'll survive out there." The mysterious alien said.

"Out where exactly?"

"You'll see." And with that, she left. Sydney still didn't like her. She was much worse than Morgana, she decided. Grumm suddenly threw a medium-sized backpack at her feet. She began inspecting it out of curiosity. Inside there were 6 liters of bottled water, a first aid kit, a few cans of food and packets of snacks, a sleeping bag and a jacket.

"Let me guess, you're going to send me camping?" Grumm answered with a growl.

He sighed, "I need you to get something for me."

Sydney was starting to believe that Grumm was high on something. Why would she help him after what he did to Sky? Before she could say anything, the Troobian spoke up, "You're going on an expedition to my favorite planet in the entire universe."

She could feel her hands shaking. She didn't even need to tell her the name. Syd knew the name of the planet and the planet itself. She had been there when she was 16 and it hadn't been a nice experience. The original name was in some alien dialect she didn't recognize, so she had simply deemed it planet Savage. As far as she could remember, Savage was no man's land. The creatures lurking around its lush forest were vicious and had no mercy for intruders such as herself. She had learnt that the hard way.

She was only 16, still young and naïve about other alien cultures, when Grumm sent her to explore Savage. After a grueling battle she endured against a monstrous alien, she discovered a cut on her arm. She bandaged it up and cleaned it. For the next few days, it began itching. Then, she began feeling nauseous, getting severe headaches and finally a fever. Broodwing had found her lying underneath a tree, her skin pale as a sheet, barely breathing. When she woke up, she discovered that the alien that had cut her had poisonous claws. She was not about to go into the place that had almost killed her.

A gasp escaped her lips when Grumm put his bony hand around his neck. A foul stench invaded her nose. "You're going to planet Savage and you will bring me what I'm looking for." She tried breathing through her nose, but that just meant inhaling the odor. She groaned as he squeezed harder. "Fine, I'll do it!"

He let go of her neck. She coughed loudly and took a deep breath. "There's an artifact I need you to get for me. A crystal, to be more precise."

She took a mental note and nodded. "The crystal is located inside a cave. Broodwing will give you the coordinates and a data pad with a map of Savage. You're dismissed."

She left the room in a hurry, bagpack in hand. She made her way to the only place she knew she would be alone, the loading docks. Upon arriving, she began crying loudly. The only thing she could remember before getting aboard on The Terror was Sky and her farewells. She was interrupted by footsteps coming from behind. She looked back and found Morgana smirking at her. "Leave me alone."

"Is that really the way you're going to talk to your expedition partner?" By no extent was Morgana her partner. She groaned in frustration. Where was a gun when she needed it?

She sighed and wiped her tears, "Excuse me, I'm going to sleep. I'm going to need all the energy I can get to put up with you on our little trip."

She brushed past her, hitting her shoulder. "Who peed in your Cheerios?"

The blonde groaned and walked up to her again. "You, Grumm and everyone else on this stupid ship!"

The brunette just frowned and crossed her arms when the other girl left the room. _It's going to be a very long trip. _

**SPD Academy**

The physical pain had begun to die down as soon as Kat began giving him painkillers. But no pill was strong enough to deal with the emotional pain. He was empty, numb and hollow. A part of him had gone missing. To get her back, he and the team would have to go through great lengths to bring Sydney back alive and well. Jack had been 'keeping an eye' on him for the last four hours. The Red Ranger was fast asleep on a chair.

As miserable as he felt, he still managed a small smile. He didn't blame him for falling asleep, if Sky weren't so anal, we would have probable done the same thing, too. Jack rose from his seat when his alarm beeped.

"Get better soon, man. We are going to need you out there." Jack handed him a glass of water.

Z awoke to the sound of her alarm and got ready. It was weird, waking up by herself in the morning. She usually went over to the blond girl's bed and poked her to wake her up for training every morning. The room wasn't the same anymore. She went over to Syd's bed and found a few samples of some type of green good, next to them was a note with Sydney's handwriting on it _'Get to Kat, ASAP! Tell her to investigate. Grumm might be using this for something.' _After gathering the samples, she entered the lab and left them in Doctor Manx's desk, along with the note.

She adjusted her uniform before entering the Medical Wing. Sky lying in a bed was a sight she would never get used to seeing. She recalled wondering if Sky was a robot. She never saw him do anything that wasn't reading the SPD Rulebook or patronizing some poor cadet who had messed up in some way or another. He only acted like himself around Syd. With her gone, he'd go back to being the same old jackass she first met upon entering the Academy.

She sat down on a chair next to Sky's bed and began reading one of the magazines the Pink Ranger had left behind. Fashion magazines were not her cup of tea, but watching him have breakfast and get shots wasn't any more attractive. She began flipping through to see if anything got her caught her eye. She doubted it would, though. "I miss her."

Z put down her magazine and looked him in the eye. "We all miss her."

A deadly silence fell over the room for what remained of Z's three hour shift. She went TO the lab after Bridge arrived. The Green Ranger seemed more enthusiastic and he had more probabilities of cheering him than she and Jack. Kat was looking at something in the microscope when she arrived. "Did you check out the samples I brought in?"

Kat gave her a nod and handed her the printed results. Z read them over twice to make sure that her eyes weren't misguiding her. "Human DNA? So you're telling me that green goo Syd collected is a person?"

"In its most natural and richest form."

Z looked confused, "I'm not sure I follow."

"I'm going to skip Biology 101 and get straight to the point." She was still confused but nodded as if she understood what Kat was saying. "This isn't just Human DNA, its energy. I'm guessing that it's some type of fuel but I'm not sure yet."

Z handed her the results. "I need to go to the place where Sydney took the samples from." Kat emitted a low whistle. RIC barged in a few seconds later. After having a leash attached to its neck and handing it to Cadet Delgado, she placed one of the samples on his nose and all of a sudden, the dog took off. Z groaned and ran with it. She stopped the dog by whistling. "Ok, this is what we're going to do. I will ride in the car and you will lead me to the location of the goo."

RIC wagged its tail and placed himself in front of the Jeep.

**The Terror**

Sydney woke up after getting a mere two hours of sleep. With what she had just been through, she considered herself lucky of getting any rest. She had spent almost half the night sobbing quietly so no one would notice. She's decided that no one was going to see her cry again. She had to be strong. Not only for herself, but for everyone that cared about her, especially for Sky and Z. Se had to keep her promise.

She stretched and washed her face before changing into appropriate attire for Savage. After rummaging through her closet for 15 minutes, she plopped down on the bed and sighed, "If I die, at least I'll do so in a decent get-up."

She had more things to worry about than just about her outfit, but she was still a girl. She finally opted for skinny jeans comfortable enough to wear for a whole week, a black and white striped t-shirt and black leather boots. On her way out, she grabbed her leather jacket, aviator shades and backpack. Her 'partner' was in a similar get-up.

"Good morning." Morgana announced cheerfully upon setting eyes on her. Maybe too cheerfully for Syd's taste. She replied with a groan and met up with her at the loading docks a few minutes later.

"I brought weapons, extra food and some of Broodwing's technology." She held up 6 silver balls that released Krybots. "Are you scared?"

"I'm terrified. But any place is better than being stuck here." She confessed as she packed the weapons in her backpack. Moments later, the ship landed on Savage. Sydney stepped forward and took a deep breath when the bridge lowered and hit ground. She took the first step, Morgana following her behind.

After a few seconds, the bridge closed again. The Terror took no time in leaving. She looked around the clearing they were in and told herself that it wouldn't be as terrible as the last time she had been in there. Creatures all around the galaxy feared Grumm. Probably they knew her reputation well enough not to mess with her or Morgana. _Being associated with Grumm does have its benefits sometimes._

After just a few steps into the wild jungle, a huge army of aliens unknown to her stepped out of hiding. They pointed their weapons at them. She made a mental note to never make assumptions again.

Just a few minutes in the planet and they were already being attacked. Savage indeed.


	26. Savage Part 2

_Author's note: Happy summer vacations to everyone!_

**Chapter 26- Savage Part 2**

Morgana and Sydney stood with their backs to each other. The attackers closed in on them, curiously looking them over. One of them began speaking a foreign tongue to another member of the alien tribe. The members spoke in a series of sounds and words neither of them had ever of before. The tribe seemed to be deliberating what to do with them. They didn't need to understand their dialect to know what was going. If they were found to be intruders, or threat most likely, there would be a confrontation. And judging by the numbers, it wasn't going to be an easy one. If they were not considered a threat, they would probably be allowed to pass.

"Any idea of what they are saying?" Morgana asked. Fear was evident in her voice meanwhile Sydney remained confident.

"My alien dialects are a little rusty, maybe you could help me out." Sydney replied, slightly amused by her question.

Morgana scoffed, "Do I look like someone who speaks their dialect."

"Well, you speak Troobian. Grumm told me…"

"Whatever Grumm told you was a lie." The brunette interrupted between clenched teeth, moving a hand to her bag, ready to pick a weapon.

"Well, I think that's pretty evident." She replied while trying to listen in on the conversation. She made out a few sounds, but without any knowledge about the dialect, it was impossible for her to form words. "I mean, he certainly did lie to you when he told you that you would look younger each time he turned you to your 10-year-old self and back. Your wrinkles are starting to show."

Just as Morgana was about to talk, a loud howl interrupted her. The tribe members closed in on them and began attacking. Being two ladies of action, they also engaged in battle against them. While Syd used a staff to fend them off, Morgana transformed into full-warrior mode with her power suit. The blonde groaned and secretly wished she had her morpher with her. The arrows the tribe sent their way instantly made her remember the first time she had been there. She took out a pair of blades and stabbed one of the aliens in the stomach. After stealing a bow and a pack of arrows, she began shooting them. She smiled. _I'm so going to beat them at their own game._

As soon as some of the aliens became aware of what was going, they began scurrying away. They were some persistent ones, though. Morgana gave her a quizzical look. "Poisonous arrows." The former Pink Ranger pointed out. The other girl nodded and grabbed her own bow and set of arrows. Sydney avoided an arrow directed at her by doing a back flip. Upon landing on her feet, she took care of the enemy. Even if they were winning, they still outnumbered them. It was impossible to beat them, taking them down would take over two days. If they even gave them two days. It seemed unlikely. They were bent on destroying the intruders.

For every member that they defeated, two other seemed to come out of nowhere. Bows and arrows were not good enough despite being effective. They needed something more. They stood back to back, thinking of plan. Morgana finally piped up, "We need to scare them."

"That's right up your alley, Morgana. You're scary enough for both of us." The young villain crossed her arms and replied with a smile, "I'm serious."

A smile appeared on both their faces when a brilliant plan came up. Both girls closed their eyes and raised their hands, pointing straight at the alien tribe. A burst of energy emanated from their beings. The aliens that were hit by the wave were gone and the few that had managed to survive were either running or hiding. Sydney groaned and fell to her knees; she was still not strong enough to withstand the energy loss that came from using her powers.

She got back on her feet, deciding that she wouldn't give Morgana the satisfaction of seeing her like that. They both continued walking until they found a safe spot on a small clearing inside the jungle. The former Ranger gathered some wood and piled it up on the ground while the villain got some of their food out.

She grabbed a small stone from the ground and closed her fist around it. "Fist of stone."

She positioned her hand over the wood and began rubbing the stone over it, hoping she would at least get a few sparks. A few rubs later and a fire produced. Syd smiled and dropped the stone in the fire. Both girls stared at each other as they sat together.

Morgana put her hands by the fire, trying to cool them. The night had become unbearably cold. A few minutes later, she was handed a can of warm beans by Syd, who had heated them in the fire. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"We need to stick together if we're going to get out of here." The blonde replied coldly as she took a bite from her beans. She made a sour face and set the can on the floor. She was never going to eat beans from a can ever again.

"Eat them; you'll need all your strength tomorrow. We are climbing a mountain." She pointed a spot in the map. The cave was located a few miles away from the mountain they needed to climb. She rolled her eyes and began eating the beans again, keeping her mouth shut. She was too tired to discuss anything with Morgana.

She rolled out her sleeping bag and unzipped it. "Did you hurt him?"

"What?"

"Did you hurt Sky?" She hissed as she lied down. Morgana shook her head and confessed, "It was all Grumm and a few Krybots. Broodwing was away and I was in my room. I never thought he would hurt him like that, I just thought…"

She scoffed, "What did you think Grumm was going to do with him? Have him clean the ship? Entertain him with jokes, perhaps?"

"I'm sorry!" exclaimed Morgana.

Another snarky reply threatened to come out but something stopped her in her tracks. She looked down and saw a purple orb shining in her hands. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She spoke more calmly this time, "Spare me the apology. I don't want to hear it."

The other girl's words stung Morgana deeply. In all her years of torturing young Sydney, she had never seen her so affected. Maybe it was true what they said about love. It could make a person go mad. Her attitude was understandable so she kept her mouth shut. It wasn't like she expected anything less than what had already been said.

She got inside her sleeping bag and closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

**Diamond deposits, outskirts of Newtech, Earth**

Z parked the Jeep inside a small warehouse and tracked RIC. It seemed as if the robot had already found something since it was hovering over a hole. She ran up to him and raised her eyebrows. To her, it just looked like a dark hole filled with dirt.

She kneeled down and stroked his head. "Maybe Bridge was right; some of your parts still need some work."

The dog made a whimpering sound and hung its head. It suddenly dropped the sample into the hole and walked away silently, whimpering still. She groaned and jumped inside, surprisingly landing on her feet. RIC had been right; it wasn't just a simple hole. This was the storage Syd had found or what was left of it. The room seemed to have been emptied recently; only a few containers of the green slime remained untouched. She was going to need an extra set of hands to help her carry them out. She contacted Bridge on her morpher.

"Are you busy?"

"Depends on your definition of 'busy' since I am currently reading the latest issue of the magazine Extreme Upgrade to help me brainstorm new upgrades for my computer. I think a toaster…" She let him ramble on for a few more seconds before finally interrupting. "Bridge!"

"I'm sorry; I just rambled again, didn't I?" She grinned. "No, you just piled up a bunch of sentences and spoke really fast."

"Oh ok." She mentally slapped herself on the forehead and took a mental note never to use sarcasm with him. Ever again. "I need you."

She explained her findings to him and soon enough, he arrived in his Patrol Cycle. She could clearly hear his footsteps and his voice coming from the ground above. "I'm down here!"

He ran over to the hole and popped his head inside. She grabbed one of the glass jars. "Catch it Bridge." She tossed it and smiled when he grabbed it. They continued the same process for the other ten jars of slime. Z began climping to the top when she heard a voice and saw a blast. She hurried to the top and groaned when she discovered she couldn't pull herself up. But that wasn't her main concern; he was lying on the floor before her, an alien with a horn for a nose pointing its weapon at him. She closed her eyes and made a replica of herself as a distraction.

The alien turned around and began shooting at the Yellow Ranger's hologram. The sweat on her palms made it hard to grab anything to hold onto. She began slipping gradually. Just as she was about to fall back down, Bridge grabbed her arm and pulled her up slowly. She panted and grinned. "I owe you one."

"I'm just glad you're ok." He grinned and helped her stand up.

"Hey ugly, turn around!" shouted Z. The alien turned around and groaned, aiming its horn directly at them. They nodded to each other and took their morphers out. "SPD Emergency!"

"Grumm warned me about you pesky Rangers!" The alien growled. "You are no match for Rhynix!" Without a warning, the alien came running towards them, ready to ambush them. The Yellow Ranger got her Deltamax Striker from her belt, ready for an attack. She put her weapon in front of her, ready to strike. She didn't know when to hit since it was coming at such a speed she couldn't begin to calculate what spot to hit. She closed her eyes just when she though she would get hit. But the hit never came.

She opened her eyes to see the Green Ranger fending off the alien. There was no time for being grateful. She suddenly remembered the events from earlier. Upon calling on RIC, it came to her aid when the battle between Rhynix and the Green Rangers raged on.

The Green Ranger struggled at first. This alien was strong and the battle seemed to get more intense every minute. He wished there would be a time out so he could get on his head to think of a solution. Before he could make another strike, a laser passed by the side of his helmet, hitting Rhynix straight in the horn. It groaned loudly when half of its horn fell to the ground.

He came by her side, ready to finish the battle. He picked up the Canine Cannon from the other side and aimed at the culprit. "Rhynix, you are charged with being responsible for the disappearance of citizen of Newtech and for crimes against our city."

Z later added, "You are also charged with theft. You stole the diamonds."

Their license made the decision for all three counts. The result: the first two charges guilty, the last one innocent. Z frowned and hesitated for a minute. Bridge noticed what was going on and intervened, "Is something wrong?"

"No." She pressed the button on her license, ready to confine this menace once and for all. _I could always question Rhynix later. _She retrieved the confinement card and put it in her pocket. She was somehow convinced that they would later find out who was responsible for the diamonds disappearing. What wasn't left clear was the reason behind the thefts.

She demorphed and put a smile on her face, despite all her concerns. She high-fived her teammate and began walking back to her vehicle. He did the same and shouted after her, "Z, wait!"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if, maybe if you weren't too busy, you wanted to come to watch some movies with me." Z's hear skipped a beat. No one had ever asked her out. Maybe this was her chance to find her knight in shining armor. "Sky and Jack will be coming too. Kat suggested the idea to get Syd off Sky's mind for a while."

Her heart dropped a little, but still she replied, "Yeah. I'll see you there.", trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She was crushed now. She knew Bridge's intentions weren't to make her feel bad. She couldn't blame him. She often put matters of the heart on a very high pedestal. She was often crushed by the outcome of such matters. And without another word, she got into the car and drove off with RIC.

"Love is difficult, RIC. Lucky for you, you'll never have to worry about it."

**Planet Savage**

Both girls awoke before the sun rose to get an early start. While Syd packed up their sleeping bags and changed into suitable attire for hiking, Morgana prepared breakfast. After yesterday, Syd wouldn't be surprised if the other girl had put poison in her food. She sat on the floor next to the fire. A question popped into her head concerning the night at the Terror. "Who's the new alien helping Grumm?"

"Name's Dream Catcher." She said as she took a bite of a slice of pineapple. The other grabbed a can of peaches. The mere thought of her sent chills running down her back. "What can she do?"

"She gets into people's dreams." Syd was startled by the revelation. It was now clear to her what ad gone down while she saving Sky from his dream. She hated the new alien even more now that she knew what had happened that night. Grumm had been trying to control her via Dream Catcher. She took a deep breath. "Thanks to her, I got killed in my dream."

"By Grumm or by Broodwing? Or was it me after you pissed me off about something?" Sydney scoffed, "None of the above, actually."

"Who, the Krybots, Cruger, Dru…." She counted with her fingers and continued on naming other possible suspects. She wasn't ready to confess, she hated ecposing her weaknesses.

"Ok, fine. Rogue killed me in my dream. She stabbed me and beat me to a pulp, happy?" She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "Maybe it's just a metaphor for what's about to happen. I'm doomed anyway, right?"

Morgana sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, "I didn't give you the brand just because. The symbol chose you."

"So, basically, I'm doomed to be evil for the rest of my life, right?" Morgana shook her head. She sat next to the petite girl. "No, I told Grumm the wrong interpretation on purpose."

The girl scoffed, not believing a word out of Morgana's mouth. The joy in her eyes when she was branded was clearly there. She hated every minute of it. She had come to accept the reality of what had been to her in the past and she had almost thought of forgiving her at one point, but nothing would ever change the fact that the ugly brand was there. "The brand doesn't mean evil necessarily."

"Enlighten me, Miss Morgana. I'm more than thrilled to hear the story behind my awesome tattoo."

"The brand talks about two split personalities, hence the circles on opposite sides. One of them is good and the other is bad." She took a stick from the earth and began drawing to explain better. "Its like two sides of the same coin. Always different, never the same. At some point, both personalities of the one who carries the brand have to exist."

She had been Rogue before and she was now Sydney, which to her meant that she had already won the battle. When she explained this to the other girl, Morgana simply laughed. "Not quite. Rogue is the complete opposite of you. She's the girl you saw in your dream."

She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. She put her head in her hands and began crying. "This means that no matter what I do, I will still become her. Great! Bring on the evil."

"The line in between means conciliation between both personalities. It is only reachable after both personalities have existed. No person is completely good or completely evil, except if you're Grumm." She added in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

"Tell me more." She said gently after wiping her tears.

"Everyone has a dark side they have to control. You will have to learn to live with yours." She explained.

Sydney stood when the sun rose, looking over the horizon. Something about watching the sun rise always made her happy. She felt warm inside, a feeling she didn't get much when being above the Terror. It mad her feel more alive somehow. She smiled and turned her gaze back to Morgana.

"How do you know all this stuff?" Morgana pointed to the thunder drawn on her cheek. "I was instructed in Troobian magic when I was young." She confessed proudly.

"I'm not going to get deep into the history of my mark. Grumm's former lackeys gave it to me when I was 16." She continued as they started the long trek to the mountain. "Unlike yours, mine is meant as an insult. They used to call me 'Sparky' because I was feisty."

Syd took a deep breath and nodded. She could understand why she had acted the way she did when she was younger. In her own twisted way, Morgana protected her from Grumm's humiliation by giving her that particular brand. The girls had more in common than they both thought possible. "Were you kidnapped like me?"

She shook her head sadly. "I don't know. I don't remember my parents."

"Grumm makes you forget." Sydney stated bluntly.

An awkward silence fell over them for the rest of the way to the bottom of the mountain. Once there they began climbing quickly, however they could. While Morgana used her blasts of energy to punch holes in the rocky surface, the other girl used her fist of diamond to do the same. Even though their powers were useful, climbing was turning out to be an excruciating activity, especially for Syd, who was afraid of heights. The brunette seemed to be doing pretty well; she was a few meters ahead of her. Her body had never been pushed this far. Her body was burning with pain. She could feel every blister and every scrape in her skin; it was like fire climbing up her body. Her body screamed for her to stop, but she didn't. She had to keep going. The faster she climbed, the faster she could get out.

Morgana stopped to rest upon getting to the top. She took a deep breath and poured some water on her hair, trying to cool down. The heat looming over them was unbearable. She set her eyes on the edge of the flat piece of rocky land she was in. Sydney's hand reached the edge. She seemed to be struggling to pull herself up. Suddenly, she saw her hand slipping. She threw herself on her knees and grabbed the blonde's hand. Sydney was closing her eyes when she set eyes on her. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Don't look down!"

The terrified girl nodded and put her other hand on the edge, pulling herself up with Morgana's help. She sprawled on her back upon reaching firm land. She let out a small laugh and grinned at the other girl. "Thank you."

"You owe me one."

"Let's keep moving or I will begin crying again." She began climbing first, carefully placing her feet on big rocks. This was the easy part, climbing up was the hard one. She hoped no major incident would occur while they were going down, like some random beast swooping in to attack them. She got to the bottom first and waited for the other girl. After reaching the bottom, they both wanted to high five each other but their hands were horribly blistered. They trekked on to the destination. As much as they wanted a break, all they really wanted was to get out of there as soon as they could. Sydney never believed that Morgana would become her partner, much less her friend.

"If you're interested, you could always join SPD. My friends…"

She shook her head, "It's too late for me to redeem myself."

"It's never too late."

The other girl quickly switched topics when something caught her eye. She hit the other girl's arm anxiously and smiled. "I spy a big cave with a crystal inside. Shall we take a peak?"

"We shall." Agreed Syd. They entered the dark cave together and smiled when they spotted something shiny at the far end of the cave. The crystal was exactly like they how pictured, transparent and without a single spot or scratch in its perfect surface. She placed her hand on the edges to retrieve it. But as soon as she touched it, she was shot out of the cave by a white beam. Morgana soon joined her on a spot in the floor.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite ladies." Grumm stepped out into the open, letting out a loud laugh. Two Orange Heads put Sydney on her feet and dragged her away from the fallen villainess. She hit one of the Krybots on the chest and kicked the other in the head, momentarily distracting them. She began to run towards the other girl, but a shot from Grumm's staff in the back stopped her in her tracks. She screamed when the robotic henchmen grabbed her again.

"You betrayed me! You knew this was going to happen!" Syd cried loudly. Morgana slowly stood up, trying to compose herself. "Maybe you are right. Maybe it is too late for you to redeem yourself."

Those were her final words before being dragged away by the Orange Heads. Another pair of Krybots grabbed her arms. "What are you going to do with her?"

"Are those feelings I perceive? Here I thought you had none." The Troobian motioned for the Krybots to also drag her away. Once inside the ship, they finally let her go. She ran through the sdhip looking for Syd, but she wasn't there.

"Where is she?" He let out a loud laugh. "I wouldn't worry much about her; you should be worried about yourself."

Before she could ask any questions, one of the Orange Heads covered her mouth and began dragging her to the room she had never wanted to go into. She groaned and looked back at him, despair in her eyes. The Krybot threw her inside and closed the door behind her, leaving Morgana to face someone who was much worse than Grumm. She screamed loudly once the creature set its sight on her. And after a few seconds, everything became quiet.

"She's all yours, Omni."

**Earth**

At first, she thought Grumm was stupid and reckless for bringing her back to Earth, especially back to NewTech. SPD could have tracked her down and rescued her by now. But that wasn't the case; he had instructed his soldiers to attach to her wrists what he called 'power depressors', which to her was just another word for two big ugly bracelets that prevented her from using her powers or emitting an energy signal.

They had landed on the coast of the city, which was now abandoned since the tides got very high at night for a few weeks. In other words, it was the perfect spot to keep her out of sight. They brought her inside an illuminated cave that overlooked the ocean. This wasn't just any cave as she had come to notice. It was equipped with high-end technology. It reminded her of the Command Center back at SPD. She felt miserable and nostalgic, not to mention weak and betrayed by someone who she thought she could be friends with. She felt stupid for trusting her, too.

An alien with a crescent moon for a head came by her side and grabbed her arm. He pressed a button on a console and an invisible force field hat surrounded the entrance was created. She resisted at first, but it was of no use, she was going to become Rogue whether she wanted it or not. Now she wondered if anything that Morgana had told was true. She was beginning to think that it was all just a bunch of crap she had come up with.

She lied down as instructed by the alien, whose name was Mooney. She turned her head to the direction of the ocean. Then something caught her eye, on the table beside her chair, she saw a bunch of syringes with a black liquid inside. If she didn't want to escape before, she certainly wanted to do so now. Her attempts at breaking her restraints were useless. And trying to escape wouldn't be of any good either, there was Mooney and the Orange Heads to take care of and she certainly didn't have the energy to deal with them. After making a small tourniquet and locating her vein, the alien slowly injected her with the liquid and extracted the needle once it was empty.

A heavy ringing invaded her ears. A pulsing pain emerged in her head. An intolerable pain ran through her body. Dark spots began dancing around her vision, gently forcing her to sleep. The last words she heard coming out of Mooney's mouth were, "Once this is all done, you'll feel much better."


	27. Meet Pandora

_Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews and all the comments. I really appreciate them. I also appreciate when you say what you liked about the chapter or about the way I'm putting my own little spin on the characters. Thank you very much!_

**Chapter 27- Meet Pandora**

Sydney opened her eyes after a long nap. She had lost track of time ever since she had arrived. Had it been days, weeks or maybe even months? She had no clue. The drugs in her system left her with little to think about except for the excruciating pain her body experienced in the first minutes after she had been injected. She glanced at the ceiling, blessing the brief lucid moments that the drug gave her. Lucidity had come to become something rare. When she wasn't in pain, she was usually asleep or too numb to even a speak word. Apart from the pain, she had come to see what the drug was really capable of. Some of her physical characteristics were changing right before her eyes. She first noticed her transformation when she saw her reflection in the bathroom.

Long gone was her mane of golden curls. Her hair had become straight and sleek. The golden soon changed into that light blonde, almost white, tone she had first witnessed at the Academy in several parts of her hair. She hated it. Not only that, she hated Grumm, Broodwing and Morgana. Lately, her fury had been blinding her. Just after seeing her reflection, disgusted by what stood before her, she made a fist and punched it. It broke into a million little pieces. She opened her palm and saw a piece of glass lodged onto a deep gash. As much as it hurt taking it out with her fingers, it was the only thing that made her feel human. She was becoming a monster and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Recalling old memories also brought back pain every time. While lucid, memories of happier times always flooded her mind. They often brought tears to her eyes. Mooney took this as a bad sign and increased the dose dramatically. He'd said that as her dosage increased the more she would forget. And everything she wanted to do was forget. She'd decided that it was better to let go of them. She was a different girl now.

Not only was she changing physically, but also mentally. She had been forgetting things lately. She couldn't remember her parents' names anymore. She remembered their faces but she had no clue as to why they were. Most of her recent memories were lost. She was lucky to even remember who she really was. But she soon began to forget that too. Each day that went by, the less she remembered about herself.

Grumm visited every other day to check on her progress. She knew nothing except for what Mooney had told her about Grumm. She still felt some sort of hatred. She hated when he got near her face. Those big red eyes penetrated deep into her soul, as if he could see and smell her fear. She had come to believe he enjoyed every moment of seeing her scared. Around his third visit, the hatred had transformed into loyalty. To the Troobian, it was huge progress. Now today, the confused girl lied in the table wide awake, anxious to receive the last dose of Black Crystal. The pain will be over soon, she thought to herself with a small smile. She put her arm out for Mooney. The alien was in utter shock, never had she wanted to receive the drug willingly. He always had to force her. It had worked. Grumm would surely give him a most handsome reward for his outstanding work on the human girl.

When the drug entered her bloodstream, she didn't feel any pain. Instead she felt something entirely different. It was power.

Not a lot of time passed before she broke free of her bonds to demonstrate what she was capable of. The Troobian Emperor clapped his hands in admiration of his latest creature. He had to admit that he was even prouder of his latest than Morgana. Neither of them would be a problem to him anymore. Not with one completely brainwashed into being his slave and general of war and the other not even in control of her own body. That's exactly why he had sent Morgana to Omni. The mysterious creature was in control of her body. A control so strong no human could break free of.

The young villain got down on one knee and bowed her head before him. She raised her head and with a smile she said, "When does the destruction begin?"

The invisible barrier that had once kept from leaving disappeared before her. He looked down at her and cackled evilly.

"Soon, my dear."

**SPD Academy**

That same night, the remaining B-Squad Cadets gathered in the Rec Room for some well deserved time-off. Sky had been back on is feet for at least five days. He had spent them on the mud course. Z suspected he was punishing himself for what had happened with Sydney, even though she had told him it wasn't his fault. Jack had been going out with Ally more frequently because the crime had been going down dramatically since their friend had been captured. With the others so busy, that only left Z and Bridge.

They had been talking more as of lately. They ate breakfast, trained and even had the same surveillance shifts. It wasn't her intention to be with him all the time but with Sydney gone and the other two in their own business, she had been left alone. And frankly, she appreciated the time they shared together. They made each other happy. Z wondered if their relationship would ever get romantic. For once, she desired Sky and Syd's relationship, as tragic as it was. She wanted to be someone else's special girl, not just a special friend.

Her heart skipped a beat when Bridge sat next to her on the leather couch. She was glad she wasn't wearing her uniform. She was clad in a simple outfit that Sydney had bought with her at a small boutique in town. That had been her first time shopping.

"So, what movie are we watching?" She asked casually.

Sky walked in, still wearing his uniform. She swore that no one would be able to take it off him without first killing him. He hobbled over to the couch and sat down on the corner, staring at the wall. In the last week he had been almost catatonic. And by almost it meant that the only way Sky now talked to people was in monosyllabic sentences. They were all getting annoyed by his routine. But they couldn't say that to him, not after what had happened. He needed to cope and they understood that everyone had their own way of dealing with emotional traumas.

"I brought a few cult classics." Jack entered and passed around the bunch of discs he had brought with him. Z snickered and held up one of the movies. "Vintage shopping again, Jack?"

Bridge took the movie in his hands and grinned. "Where did you get this?"

"I have my sources, young Bridge." The Green Ranger passed the film to him and just as he was about to pop it on the player, Z interrupted. "We are not watching a movie from the year 1977."

Bridge turned to look at her, still smiling. "It's not just a movie, Z. It's the movie that outlined how people all around the universe interact with the diverse range of extraterrestrial creatures. It's the basis for the society we live in today."

If Jack hadn't cut him off, he could have gone on for hours about the historical and social impact the film had. "And it's epic!"

Both the Blue and Yellow Rangers rolled their in unison. Sky was, as always, annoyed by his roommate's weird tastes. He sighed and crossed his arms. The other two Rangers weren't about to give up.

"Come on, Sky. Didn't your father play this film for you when you were younger?" Jack inquired before anyone could stop him. The guy in blue stayed quiet for a few moments and then spoke up, "My father has been dead for a long time."

Everyone stayed silent for a couple of minutes before he spoke up again. "I never got to do a lot of things I wanted to do with him. If you say it's worth watching, I'll do it."

He walked up to the synthetizer and ordered a pizza and popcorn, which was unusual for him. He usually ate very healthy things but today seemed to be the day he would finally let go of his annoying little quirks. At least for a while. Z smiled and helped him set up some plates and brought sodas for the team.

"Fine, I'll watch it. But Jack, you are doing my surveillance shifts for a week." Both Rangers shook hands, sealing the deal. Z took a bucket of popcorn from the table and began eating them as soon as the lights were turned off. When she put her hand inside the bucket to grab one, she felt the rubber of Bridge's gloves against her skin. He muttered a silent apology and turned back at the movie. And even though it was dark, she knew he was blushing. She smiled and turned her attention back to the film.

**The Terror**

She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to adjust to the glow in the room. Even though she felt better, her head was still aching. She looked around the new addition to the ship. She had to admit it was magnificent, a work of art. She trailed her long fingers over the spines of ancient books filled with stories in many alien dialects. She was pleased to say the least. Everything was perfect. From the crystal chandelier attached to the ceiling to the mahogany wood desk and bookcase the Krybots had acquired. But none of the decorations would ever beat what was before her. She contemplated her reflection in a large circular window behind her desk.

The window allowed her to see the outside and marvel at the universe as much as she wanted according to Grumm. It was his gift to her and she had no reason not to believe him. She gave the old sack of bones a small smile.

"I knew you'd like the Observatory." She stopped stargazing and turned back around to face him. "It's beautiful."

Even Grumm was amazed by the change in the young girl. Her curls were gone and instead were replaced by a sleek white-blonde mane. She had grown slimmer since she hadn't been fed anything for almost two weeks. Her face had also changed drastically. She seemed to radiate a warm glow when she was Sydney, now her skin was pale and her facial features seemed to have changed. They were more defined, making her look meaner and colder. Her beautiful blue eyes seemed to have also lost their shine. This was no longer Rogue.

Rogue had just been a rat lab. The girl standing before him was his accomplishment. A name change for the girl seemed in order. His eyes glowed with pride. He had never been so proud of his handiwork. In the last hour, she had managed to completely wipe the girl that used to be known as Sydney off the face of the universe. She was now pure evil and destruction. There was only one appropriate name he found fitting.

"Pandora, what should be the first order you'll give as my general?" The newly appointed villain cocked her head slightly and began concocting a new plan in her head. She saw use for every single alien on the ship except for one. She exited the Observatory and went into the throne room whit the Troobian following behind closely. Inside, she found Dream Catcher.

"This is my first order as your newest general." She ordered for an Orange head to capture the villain first. She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt the power emerging in her hands. Moments later, Dream Catcher was nothing but dust.

The Troobian was astonished. "Get rid of all unnecessary allies on board, Grumm."

She bent over the ashes and picked something up. It looked like a listening device. She tossed it to him and smiled. "Sometimes getting rid of the trash isn't as easy as it seems right?"

He couldn't believe it. He had an SPD-issued listening device on the ship. He began to worry about Birdie and Cruger having the upper hand now. He wouldn't allow himself to lose yet another war against SPD. He crushed the device with his hand and threw it on the floor. "How did you know?"

"She seemed too good to be true." She said simply as she walked away. She felt no remorse or guilt over what had happened. The drugs had really done their work well this time around. Grumm had finally gotten his weapon and he couldn't wait for SPD to see it.

Pandora would crush them, both physically and mentally.

Back in the Observatory, the blonde sat down in her black chair and turned to face the window. She looked over Earth which was the planet the Terror was hovering over, awaiting for conquest. She put her fingers to the class. Oh, how she wanted that planet to be hers. The pain and the suffering could not compare to what she would get out of seeing people as her slaves. She smiled at the thought and pushed it aside. Someday, she thought to herself.

Grumm came inside. "I hope you're ready because I have a new mission for you."

She turned around and simply nodded.

**SPD Academy**

Two hours into the movie, Z had fallen asleep and Sky had moved to another corner of the room to read a book. It wasn't just that the movie was boring him; he was the third well now. The brunette's face was on a pillow over Bridge's lap. Jack didn't seem to care, though. The movie was all that mattered to him and and the Red Ranger at the moment. He stared intently at their faces for a few moments. If they didn't close their mouth soon, a swarm of flies would soon get a new home to breed. He went back to his book, only for a few more minutes, though. Just as he was about to get to the Intergalactic Weapons Treaty, the alarm went off.

Bridge poked Z's shoulder a few times to awaken her. Jack turned the lights on and switched off the TV. They ran to the Command Center and awaited further instructions. Kat came in and turned the screen on. "There's been a security breach at the gold deposits. I suggest you get moving if you want to catch Morgana."

Before they left, she stopped them. "She is on the top floor. There seems to be a lot of Krybots in the premises. I suggest you split up to finish faster."

They nodded and decided that they would choose teams when they got there after discussing it quickly. Upon arrival, they encountered Krybots. Z made a quick copy of herself to distract them. She looked back at the guys. "One of us needs to get inside while the others beat the Krybots out here."

"I'll go." Sky piped up.

Everyone nodded in agreement and got out of the Cruiser. Sky made another copy of herself to give Sky more advantage. He saw his opportunity when the coast was clear of the robotic soldiers. He ran over to the door and went inside, quickly getting into one of the elevators without any major difficulties. On the top floor, he encountered a large wooden door to an office guarded by two Orange Heads. He would gladly take a hundred Krybots to an Orange Head.

He morphed in the elevator and began formulating an attack strategy. He had to be stealthy. Morgana couldn't know about his presence in the building or she would escape. He attached a blaster to his Deltamax Striker and slowly slid it over the edge of the doors, aiming it directly at the one of the left. He fired a strong enough blast to knock it out before it could notice something was wrong. The Krybot fell to the floor, its cogs and engines almost on fire. Before the other could react, Sky had already knocked its weapon out and had the blaster at its back. "Open the door."

The Krybot agreed and stepped inside while the Ranger hid behind him. Once he was in, he destroyed the robot with its own weapon and ran over to the desk. The infrared technology on his helmet picked up a human signal coming from behind the leather chair. When the chair was turned, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Sydney?"


	28. Sam Part 1

**Chapter 28- Sam Part 1**

Sky's jaw dropped when he saw the girl standing before him. She wasn't Syd anymore. Her curls, compassionate eyes, that rosy glow that seemed to emerge from her body… gone. She was still beautiful to him, though. He examined for a few seconds, taking in her appearance and misdemeanor. His eyes noticed every little change from her eyes to her hair. But what scared him the most was her face. Everything from the cold, cruel gaze to that small smile Sky suspected was not because she was happy, gave him the chills.

"It's Pandora now, actually."

He said nothing and continued to approach with caution. He had every intention of taking her in so Kat could take a look at her. The faster he got her out of Grumm's clutches the better. The only problem he encountered was the capture. Sydney….now Pandora wouldn't go down without a fight. And knowing her, she wouldn't be easy to beat. He didn't want her to get hurt, but this was his only chance to get her back for good. He raised his blaster and aimed at one of her legs; he closed his eyes and fired a blind shot. When he opened them again, he was amazed once again. Not only had she not been hurt, Pandora was now a walking diamond.

Whatever had happened to her, the process enhanced her abilities and took them to the next level. It was not only her hand, but her entire body, that was transformed into the sparkling rock. She smiled and returned to normal. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

No, of course not, he thought to himself as he tried to device another plan. She interrupted his thoughts by creating two more Orange Heads. He groaned and began fighting them viciously. They had to be taken out as soon as possible. By the time he was done, she was already gone. She had been quick and deliberate and definitely knew what she wanted. He demorphed and joined the others at the entrance.

"It wasn't Morgana." He said grimly

Z raised an eyebrow. It wasn't until a minute later that she got the hang of what he meant. "Rogue is back?"

He shook his head. "Worse."

"So it was Morgana." Jack blurted out.

He shook his head again; Bridge took his glove off and read his aura. The Blue Ranger grabbed his hand and put his glove back on. The Green Ranger apologized for breaking the promise he and Sky had made when they were first assigned to the B-Squad. Bridge would never read Sky's aura unless indicated or permitted. "There are tinges of red in your aura, which indicate passion or rage, maybe both."

The brunette girl was tired of waiting for answers. "Just spill it out, Sky!"

"It was Sydney!" He exclaimed loudly. He began explaining what changed he had noticed and showed them a picture. Z visibly cringed and the other two Rangers were in shock. They ha no idea the Troobian Emperor was as heartless as this. Doing that to a girl was terribly cruel. They went straight to the Command Center to show their findings to Kat and Cruger. The Doctor sat with them and told them to relax.

"At least we know she's alive. We'll get her back."

Sky wanted her back desperately. He was willing to try anything to be with her again, even if it meant going out there and letting Grumm capture him. He rose from his chair. "How are we getting her back if we're just sitting here doing nothing but thinking?"

The irritation in his voice was more than obvious.

"Sit down Cadet Tate, I won't allow you to raise your voice to your fellow Cadets or to Doctor Manx!" Cruger growled. He didn't seem to care, a few minutes later, he was out the door.

"Too many dramatic exits for a week." Z muttered quietly. Jack gave her a dirty look which earned him a shrug from the girl. The Green Ranger gave them instructions to search for anything that could help them find their friend and left to find Sky. After searching for a few minutes, he finally found him up in the roof, contemplating the view it had. He ran up to him and put his right on his shoulder.

"We _will_ get her back."

"I'm just scared. That girl in there wasn't her. What if she's stuck like that and there's no way to revert what Grumm did to her?" Bridge understood his distress and had no idea of what had been done with Syd, but there was always a solution for everything. No matter how complicated it was, the team would do everything to get her back.

"Getting angry won't help us." The tall man nodded and followed his friend back to the Command Center. He was visibly calmer yet he was still melancholic. They began leaving one by one until only Sky was left. He groaned and slammed his hand on the table. Cruger sat in front of him.

"I'm truly sorry about Cadet Drew." The Commander declared solemnly while looking him in the eye. "Just know we are all here for you. You have no idea the great lengths I'm willing to go to protect one of my cadets."

He nodded respectfully. "I know, Commander. I'm sorry for earlier."

"It's not me you owe an apology to." He pointed to the weapons lab. He saluted and left through the door, hoping he wasn't on Kat's bad side.

**The Terror**

After transporting in, Pandora went straight to her observatory to plan her next strategy. She was satisfied with her work today. She had been able to get everything Grumm had asked for without major any major problems. It had only cost her a few Krybots and one distraught Ranger to do her job. She turned around when she heard the skeleton coming in. She bowed respectfully and showed him what she had gotten for him. His red eyes began glowing.

"I'm pleased." On the table were over two tons of gold she and the Krybots had stolen from the deposit. She had no idea what it would be used for, since he kept it a secret, but she would surely steal a small piece to make herself a pair of earrings out of it. If she was going to be the ruler of the Earth one day, she had to dress and accessorize as such. And no queen's outfit was complete without accessories made out of the finest materials. She wondered if she would ever have the opportunity to travel to another planet besides Earth. She knew that some planets, such as the ones in the Andromeda galaxy, were famous for their beautiful jewelry. Grumm's laugh interrupted her thoughts.

"Anything else I can do for you?" Morgana entered the room, looking as cold and cruel as Pandora. It didn't take long for Broodwing to join them. The old sack of bones couldn't help but cackle again. His own screwed up version of a holy trinity was finally complete. He had Pandora, the beautiful but deadly and powerful warrior, Morgana, his enigmatic human apprentice of Troobian magic and Broodwing, his right hand and provider of weapons. Yet, he wanted more. It was more of a need than a want. He would need everyone he could get in order to beat SPD.

He had an open spot for a new general. It was official, generals were now in season and he was hunting. The girls smiled when something popped up in the radar he had installed in the window. Pandora blew up an image on the screen and turned back. "Looks like we have a new recruit, Emperor."

She stepped aside to let them see. "Another human? Why don't we just turn back to old allies? It will take longer with a human and things will get complicated…"

Pandora glared at Broodwing and put her new staff's blade close to his face. "If I remember well, every single one of my plans has worked. Now tell me, Broodwing, how many of your plans have worked out so far."

He mumbled something that sounded like the word 'none' to her. She removed the staff from his face. "That's what I thought so too. Anything else you want to add?"

Standing up to Broodwing was not something she did everyday. She definitely enjoyed the power that came with bothering and beating him. "I'll get him for you, Emperor. I just need Morgana to do something for me."

**Downtown NewTech**

The next morning, Pandora strolled down the city's less fortunate areas. She casually sneered at some aliens as she passed them, either too disgusted by how they smelled or by how they behaved. In the short time she had been there, she had already seen two aliens digging through the dumpsters to get something to eat. When she offered them a muffin, which was rare for her, they kindly rejected it and continued n their quest for a slice of rotten pizza. She put the muffins back in its bag and continued walking.

She had clearly disguised herself in a loose white top tucked inside a black pencil skirt and high heels. That is if she could high heels clever. Her hair was covered by dark wig with bangs that covered her hair. She put on a pair of sunglasses before arriving at the public school where her objective was. She sat on a bench beside the court to observe her target.

A 12-year-old boy redheaded boy ran up to the center of the court to join the other kids. He had a basketball in his hands. He asked permission to play with them with a big hopeful smile on his face. Pandora stared intently at his pathetic attempt to socialize. People like him didn't need permission to do anything. They just did whatever pleased them because they were superior, simple as that. One of the kids, a fat one, laughed at him. Soon, the others joined in.

The boy felt dumb for even asking. The answer was always no. When the fat kid tried to grab the ball, he tossed it to the sky and extended his palm. The ball appeared over the hoop a few seconds later. She had to remove her sunglasses for a few seconds and pinch her arm to make sure what she had just seen was real. It had been. She waited some more to make her move.

The looks on the kids' face had fear and amazement written all over them. Some of them ran back inside while others, like the fat kid, hid their fear. He was pushed to the floor a few seconds later; landing with both is knees on the rough surface. "Freak."

The other kids soon began chanting the same name with an annoying tone. The woman in the bench stood up and removed her sunglasses with her back turned to the little kid.

"I'm not a freak! I am special!" He screamed his voice full of anger.

"You better go back inside before I call your principal and tell them what you've done." There was nothing that kids feared most than an angry teacher. They ran inside. She held out her hand to help him up.

Both walked up to the bench, where she began tending to the wound on his knees. She poured a small amount of water on it and then put a band aid over it. "I'm Sam."

"Pandora." She shook his hand when she offered it.

"That's an unusual name." She raised her eyebrow. For a kid who seemed shy, Sam could definitely be precocious at times. "I'm named after a Greek Goddess."

Pandora was not really much of a Goddess, from what she had read. Pandora was a beautiful woman that had been created by Gods to tempt men after Prometheus had defied them by giving fire to men. She was said to be the most beautiful that roamed the mortal world. But not everything was perfect for her. The Gods had given her a beautiful box they told her never to open. It was her burden to carry. One day, the temptation overpowered her and curiosity got the best of her. Before she could do anything, sickness, war, sin and many other evils had been released into the world. The myth fit her to a t.

Still, she had to lie to him to make him come with her. "Would you like to go for an ice cream?"

He nodded happily and took her hand. She groaned when she saw someone she really didn't want to deal with today. It seemed inevitable as always. She came face to face with the Yellow SPD Ranger. She groaned loudly. Of all the days she could have walked through that area today had to be the day. Z had been thought that it was Morgana at first, but her face fell when she saw Sydney. She corrected herself: that was Pandora not Sydney.

Sky was right, she's not Syd anymore, she told herself. "Go hide, Sam."

"She's just one of those people who want to hurt you. Go hide." Pandora ordered a second time. Sam was reluctant but hid behind a wall anyway. Z scoffed, "Grumm has really sunk to a new level."

"I could say the same thing for Cruger. Hiring criminals as Rangers…" She said despectively, a hint of disgust in her voice. She removed the wig and exposed her hair. Z was enraged. She took her blaster out, ready to fire. She took aim at her stomach and fired. But when the girl before her transformed crystallized into diamond form, her jaw dropped. "Do you Rangers ever learn?"

She put her hand behind her back and dropped two balls of Krybots to the floor. "Take care." She snarled as the girl morphed into the Yellow Ranger. She walked back to Sam and took his hand. She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Sam. People will never understand us."

After getting him an ice cream one, she took him to the old diamond deposits. "Can you only make small objects disappear?"

He shook his head. "No. Want me to try on something big?" He answered proudly. This was turning out to be easier than she thought. She pointed to the warehouse. After giving his confirmation, he raised his palm and engulfed the warehouse in a white light. And poof, there was no more warehouse.

"You are a very talented and special boy, Sam. I know someone who would be very interested in your abilities."

"Really, is this person a friend of yours?"

"Of course he is."

"When can I meet him?"

"Soon." She replied mysteriously, leaving out the part that her 'friend' was a dusty bag of bones. She decided that some things were better left to his imagination. A few minutes later, the Yellow Ranger arrived at the deposits along with her motley crew of uniformed goody-goodies. Pandora crossed her arms and checked her watch. "Not even an hour has passed and you are already back for more. Pesky much?"

She indicated Sam to hide. He did as ordered. She glared when they raised their blasters. She stuck her hand out and wrapped her and around a piece of iron. As soon as they began opening fire, her body deflected, hitting the Rangers instead.

Sam watched from a distance. He felt bad for his friend. It reminded him of the kids back at school ganging up on him just because he was different. Sam began walking to the blonde girl. As soon as she saw this, she fell to the floor and grabbed a small rock. She made a cut on her arm to simulate that she had been hurt. Sky stared at her, wondering how she had barely flinched. Maybe she was worse than he could have ever imagined.

The little boy came out of hiding. He came by the girl's side and uncapped his bottle of water to pour it on her wound. They had to get him away from Pandora. Whatever Grumm had planned for him wasn't pleasant, they suspected. Z stepped out and smiled. "Sam, please trust us. We don't want to hurt you."

She held out her hand. He hesitated but ended up taking it. Something about the brunette just made him want to be with her. Maybe it was her warmth, which was a quality the other girl didn't possess. Pandora groaned and stood up slowly, ready to attack. But something inside dictated her to stop, Grumm wanted the kid alive. She wouldn't be able to deliver if she attacked while Sam was holding hands with the Ranger. She decided it would have to be some other time. It just wasn't meant to happen today, she told herself as she turned around, fixing her skirt.

She crossed her arms, desperate for some action. What was clear today was that she wouldn't leave the place until she got what she had come for. She clearly overheard the conversation ongoing between her target and the Rangers. "Sam, these are my friends: Jack, Bridge…."

The boy took his hand away and glared at her. She was not like him, he realized. She wasn't all alone, like he and Pandora were. Z didn't need him, he had them for company. He had been betrayed and it hurt deeply. She began to worry about the sudden change in his behavior but before she could ask, he was already at Pandora's side holding her hand. She cursed herself and glared at her. A few seconds later, Sam disappeared. She did so herself a few seconds after him, taunting with a small wave and an air–blown kiss.

"We'll get him back." Jack said kindly. She turned away from the scene. She had not only let herself down, but that boy too. No one knew what the Troobian had in store for him and they certainly didn't want to begin speculating. Had she not mentioned the word 'friends', he would have probably stayed. Probably being the key word. Sam was a smart kid, he would eventually catch on and discover that the people with her were more than just people; they were her friends, her new family even. She sighed in disappointment and drove off in the Cruiser all by herself.

**The Terror**

Pandora, upon arrival, presented the boy to Grumm. He was proud and in good spirits as fasr as she could tell. Sam was definitely apprehensive at first. He took a few steps back, taking her hand, squeezing it as hard he could. She could relate, Grumm wasn't exactly nice to look at but the boy would eventually warm up to him. Or at least, stop being afraid.

She gave a bow and took him to Mora's room. Hoping that Grumm had listened to her request, she went in with the boy. She was relieved when Mora, and not Morgana, walked over to him and introduced herself with a polite smile. The boy took her hand without hesitation. He soon forgot this earlier attitude and began playing with his new friend.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

Pandora grinned. "You'll never have to be alone again."

"She's right." Mora took out her notebook and began sketching one of her bizarre yet powerful creations. A few strokes and a page tear later, a new alien emerged. This new one was certainly unusual. It wasn't like any of her other creation, which were normally scary. This one seemed as powerful as a teddy bear. It had a childlike quality to it. She appreciated the effort and examined the creature closely. His only weapon was a silver staff. "My name is Bugglesworth."

"When we get bored, I can always create a new friend for us to play with. You will never be alone here, Sam. You will have plenty of friends to play games with." Mora smiled brightly. Sam grinned and grabbed a very peculiar-looking doll from her collection when Pandora left with the creature. The doll had an 'X' for an eye, a couple of black strings to simulate hair, stitches all over it and very colorful dress and boots on. "That's Cindy Sunshine; she can be your friend too."

While both Mora and Sam played, Bugglesworth showed off his abilities to both Grumm and Pandora. He pointed his staff at a random Krybot. In a flash, the robot had become nothing but a doll. "And how exactly is having a collection of dolls going to be beneficial to me?" The Emperor snarled.

Pandora put her mind to work and then explained, "Think of the big picture here, Grumm. He could bring in plenty of people to the ship. People we could use for powering the ship. Once we turn them into fuel, that is."

From his eyes emanated a bright red glow. She grinned at him and ordered Bugglesworth to go to Earth and bring her as much people as he possibly could. She turned back. "In case those Rangers attack you; you come back. You can't turn them while they're morphed."

He nodded and bowed, jumping happily while being transported to Earth.

"I'll have Broodwing provide him with a robot. I need to see those things they use to fight."

Cold and calculating, just like he wanted her to be all along. "Strategizing is a smart idea."

"I'll go watch over Bugglesworth." And with that, she disappeared in a flash of blinding light. Grumm, meanwhile, sat at his throne thinking of what move he could play next. While he walked through the Observatory, something got his eye. There was one of Broodwing's robot roaming NewTech, smashing buildings. He scanned the inside and it wasn't Bugglesworth. There was an unknown alien controlling the monstrous device. This hadn't been the first time Broodwing had gone against his will to show off his handiwork. They had to be careful and attack when the time was right. He opted on not saying anything to Broodwing this time; he would let him keep on believing whatever he wanted. He would punish him when the timing was perfect. It was true he was in luck today, with the little boy, he might just get to replace Broodwing…

Oh, how the skeleton loved to mess with fragile minds…especially children's.


	29. Sam Part 2

**Chapter 29- Sam Part 2**

Pandora watched Buggglesworth capturing people from a safe distance. She stood on the roof of a building, watching the creature do his magic. She crossed her arms and snickered when he got his first doll. Mora would be proud to now that her creation worked. At the rate it was going, he could have at least a 100 people by the end of the day, more than enough for a few jars of fuel. That was if the Rangers didn't come to interrupt. She suspected they would, their technology was way too advanced to not detect such a threat to safety. Lucky for her, she was more than prepared to take them up on a fight. She desperately craved some action.

As the creature converted its 10th victim, a blast hit its back. Just in time, she thought to herself. It was time to mess with the Rangers.

She had 'borrowed' Morgana's battle suit from Grumm's throne room. She would need protection if this was the alien she would fight with. Bugglesworth was harmless, as much as she hated to admit it. He was good for entertaining kids like Sam and Mora, but when it came to an actual fight she predicted he would end up eating dust and inside one of those containment cards. Her current mission was to keep him away from harm and she didn't exactly complain about being his bodyguard.

Pandora was a daredevil by nature. Devising new plans and strategies to win the war against was her favorite hobby. Seeing her plans in action and actually making them work made her day most of the time. She imagined herself rejoicing over the fact that her biggest enemies were now gone with a big cup of the most expensive wine she could find on the planet. Picturing herself wearing a crown, people bowing to her as loyal subjects of the Troobian Empire… She cherished those scenarios.

By the time the second blast hit him, Bugglesworth was already down on the floor. She rolled her eyes and made a mental note to never let Mora make any aliens like this ever again. She put the silver bracelet around her wrist and pressed the jewel on the center, like Morgana always did in the past, but nothing happened. She rolled her eyes and pressed it repeatedly, wondering if it had broken.

"You know what they say, if it's not broken, break it." In a deliberate move, she tore the bracelet from her wrist and smashed it against the floor with great force. She picked it up and pressed it again. Nothing happened.

She then remembered what she had read about Troobian magic and the ones that had the gift. Whatever object had been blessed with it couldn't be used by people who didn't have the gift. She cursed herself for refusing to learn it when she was young. Oh well, she would have to get her hands dirty. She put the bracelet on her wrist once again and transported herself to the plaza, where Bugglesworth and the Rangers were fighting.

The four Rangers were ready to arrest the alien, showing off their fancy technology. As she had no such technology as theirs, she would have to recur to the trusty staff-blade Grumm had given his general as gift. The staff was long and made out of the finest and strongest silver alloy in the whole galaxy, it had small engravings, such as her brand and details in pink. The curved blade was also made of the same alloy and it was equipped with some pretty high tech stuff she didn't get the hang of, but she knew what it was capable of.

Stepping onto the battlefield, she felt confident. Like she could win without any help. It wasn't like she had anything to prove to anyone, not even except to Grumm. She was already feared throughout the galaxy. Her reputation was that of a very feared warrior. When Grumm first told her this, she knew it was a lie. Up until now, she hadn't one much. But his statement turned out to be true when she went to planet Zora, well known for its arms dealers, to pick up her blade. Upon setting eyes on her, all the aliens, except the blacksmith and her master, ran away like mice being chased by a cat. She had tested out her weapon on a few unlucky subjects on a small pub at Zora, just to prove how ruthless she could be. Aliens were vicious. They underestimated her severely. Originally, the aliens at the pub had thought she was one of Grumm's pretty faces and began staring at her like a piece of meat. Not only did she teach them not to mess with her, but also not to mess with the Troobian Army.

Just like Zora, she was going to win today, no matter what it took. She took her staff and swung it twice, creating two small yet powerful waves of energy. They hit the Red and Green Rangers square in the chest. The Blue Ranger came at her full force. She engaged in a heated hand-to-hand combat battle with him. She may have been more agile, but he was stronger. He had definitely been training a lot harder. She did her best trying to protect herself by adopting a defensive stance. Too bad she couldn't protect her whole body.

He swept his feet against hers, making her fall flat on her back. She got up and fired and decided that it was time to get the heavy artillery out. She blasted another wave aimed directly at him. Sky was hoping she would do just that. He was taking a big risk, but it was a necessary one.

He demorphed and got a force field just a second before the wave could hit him. He could only imagine if it had. The wave redirected back to her position, with the same original force she had intended it to hit with. She certainly didn't expect did this. Underestimating her opponents had been a mistake. She wouldn't let it happen again.

She stood up. The only thing hurt had been her pride. She wasn't bout to give up just yet, not without a fight. The Blue Ranger was about to know what she was really made of and no weapons were needed to do that. Having dropped off the blade, she walked closer to him. She threw a punch aimed straight at his face. Putting his hand in hers, he stopped it and lowered it gently. He locked eyes with hers as if trying to reach for something deep inside. Soon he realized there was nothing inside. She was not there anymore. Sydney was gone.

He let go of her hand brusquely and did the same she had done. Dodging his punch skillfully, she continued with several fight attempts. As a desperate attempt, she got up on the roof of a car and tried something she never done before. After gaining enough speed, she jumped off and spun in the air at the same time she concentrated on her powers. A bright ball of energy emerged from her hands when Sky least expected it, hitting him in the leg. It had been intended to be stronger, but that was the best she could accomplish on her first try.

Examining his leg, he found just a small cut. He had been lucky this time, but he feared that their next encounter wouldn't be as such. She was testing the waters, he knew. After giving him a smug smile, she walked away. Her figure began disappearing slowly, her form becoming nothing but a bunch of soft pink petals that upon hitting the floor, became as black as night.

**The Terror**

"Do you have any other toys we could play with apart from the dolls?"

Mora got up from her dresser where she had spent the last hour brushing the imaginary tangles out of Cyndy Sunshine's inexistent head of hair. "Don't you like thm? Bugglesworth got them especially for you."

"I just wish I could play basketball here." He felt guilty for not using the gift his new 'friend' had given him but she wasn't seriously expecting him to play with dolls, he was a boy. Sam sat on Mora's coffee table, carefully picking up a scone from a silver tray. He brought it to his mouth. Before even getting his first bite, Mora casually mentioned, "That's made out of plastic."

Even though he could feel his stomach talking to him at that same moment, he wasn't that desperate. "Why'd you keep it around then?"

"Decoration." Simply said the girl, taking a sip from her cup of tea.

He simply nodded and put his hand over his stomach to keep it down; the last thing he wanted was to be a bother to his new friends. People often got annoyed when he asked for things. When Pandora walked inside, she smiled at the boy. He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her. Maybe she would understand and take pity on him.

He took the older girl's hands and looked up expectantly, "I'm hungry."

"We'll go down there again. I need your special talents for something." She paused for a second and smiled. "Only if you want, that is."

With no hesitation, he nodded happily. It felt nice to be wanted for something, he thought.

**Earth**

Since Pandora had already done her part of the deal by buying him a burger at a nearby restaurant, it was now his turn. As they walked through the crowded NewTech square, he wondered on what he was needed for. Never had someone asked him to do anything with his abilities before. Most times, he just used them when people made him angry. He felt superior when they ran away, scared of him. Afterwards, not so much. He'd given up anything to be normal in the past, but now, with his new friends he felt unstoppable.

She positioned him in front of a skyscraper and pointed at it. "Can you make it disappear?"

"I've never tried anything so big. I'm not sure I can."

"You can, just trust yourself." She felt like a mother just by the simple fact that she was encouraging him. Had the ice covering her should and heart disappeared? She doubted it. The child was only being used because of his powers. If It had been any other non-superpowered child, she wouldn't even have given a crap about him or her. She felt just a tinge of remorse for manipulating him. It vanished as soon as Sam walked forth, his hand extended. He closed his eyes and soon enough, the image of the skyscraper began dissolving into nothing. She was proud. Maybe if he kept up the good work and no questions routine, he would be allowed to stay on board.

While Sam and Pandora continued on their wild rampage of making things disappear, the B-Squad was gathered around a table at the Command Center discussing important issues. The most prominent topic that had come up was their powers' origins. It had been on everyone's mind after they witnessed what Sam had done.

When Cruger walked inside with Doctor Manx, all four of them began asking questions at the same time. It took her a couple of minutes but Kat finally silenced them with a loud whistle. They saluted the Commander quietly and sat back down on their chairs, their faces full of embarrassment. Kat ordered everyone who wasn't part of the B-Squad to leave.

Having the room cleared out, she took a seat next to Cruger and sighed. "We have never intended to keep this a secret from you. We are sorry it had to come down to this so we'd get to tell you."

"Back when SPD was in its early stages, we were testing new technologies, such as the ones in your morphers, the Zords…" She trailed off for a second. "And by we, I mean your parents and myself."

Bridge shook his head. "My father knows very little about modern technology. He can't even turn on a computer without assistance, let alone build a morpher."

"You don't give your father enough credit, then." She continued with a mischievous smile on her face. "While we were working on the technology, there were some unexpected results. At first we thought they were nothing since they experienced no symptoms and neither did I. Little did we know that the ones affected wouldn't be ourselves, but…"

"Us." Sky concluded.

Kat simply nodded. Then Z asked what had been on everyone's mind: "What about Sam?"

"His parents worked here too."

"What happened to them?"

Kat sighed sadly, "They were killed while on a mission in planet Zora when Sam was just a little boy. We think it was the Troobians behind the attack."

That made everything clear for Z: Sam's erratic behavior, his willingness to follow Pandora… He was lonely. She could relate more than anyone. It was now she decided to make it her mission to bring Sam back. She intended to make SPD his new home. Jack's voice snapped her out her thoughts. "Are there supposed to be skyscrapers on the beach?"

Kat shook her head and stared at the incredible picture up on the screen. A skyscraper on the beach. Maybe the experiments had affected her after all. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't just imagining it.

"Go check it out."

"Kat, can you track Sam's location? I think we better split up for this one." Z suggested. After careful consideration, Cruger agreed and opened the doors. She left immediately after locating him out on the diamond deposits on the outskirts of the city, a place she had become too familiar with in the past week. The others went on their own quest to investigate the mysterious case of the skyscraper on the beach. The others followed her lead.

**NewTech Beach**

After five minutes of staring, Bridge still couldn't believe his eyes. A skyscraper on a beach. His jaw hung open like he had just seen the most amazing thing in the entire universe. As unbelievable and amazing as the picture painted itself to be, they had work to do. Jack saw himself forced to drag him by the collar to the inside of the building. The trance was finally broken upon entering the structure. Sky, sick of Bridge's behavior, began scanning the building's energy levels for anything out of the ordinary. Like always, he wanted to be the Lone Ranger.

The others went on to do their own business as well. Without a conversation between them, the room fell victim to a dead silence. The only audible sounds were the ones coming from their morphers after the energy readings turned out to be negative. It was rather strange that a skyscraper, full of offices, disappeared at the busiest time of day and no one happened to be inside. They investigated further. Bridge took off one of his gloves and replayed some of what had happened. As the images played for him, he pointed to his right side, indicating Sky and Jack to follow his lead.

Bridge had seemingly led them to a dead end. His trace had ended at a large steel wall. He put his glove back on. Sky let out a frustrated 'this-is-pointless-and-I'm-leaving' groan and just as he was about to leave, the Red Ranger's morpher beeped. It was giving off faint readings of human life behind the wall. He couldn't just break the wall. It was time to use his ability.

One of his hands passed right through the wall like if here a ghost. Soon, all his body was on the side of the wall. The sight before him was puzzling. There was nothing but dolls strewn all over the room. Had his morpher been wrong?

Upon closer inspection, he placed his morpher on a single doll; it gave off a human energy signal. "I'll meet you outside, there's something you have to see."

**The Diamond Deposits**

Z found the boy alone inside one of the warehouses, holding an action figure in his tiny hands. She lightened her mood and smiled at him.

"Hey Sam."

"Pandora told me not to talk to strangers." He replied.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to be your friend." Sam decided to avoid her at all costs. She was dangerous according to Pandora. She alleged that Z not only wanted to hurt him, she also wanted his powers for herself. She might have also lied about her being involved with 'dangerous' people he didn't want to get involved with. He stood up and turned his back on her. He began walking to another location with the girl on his tracks.

She sighed and made a replica of herself to corner him. He gasped once he saw the girl that he had left behind in front of him. He turned back and saw her standing there. He laid eyes on the replica again. It just wasn't possible to him, unless…

"You have powers too?"

She smiled and walked up to him once he was calmer. "This is what I've been trying to tell you. My friends and I, we all have powers."

"What do you want with me? You have friends already. You don't need me." He was being evasive again. Before he could walk away, she took hold of his hand and looked him straight in the eye. "Because I used to be like you when I was twelve, Sam. I was also called a freak by the kids at my school because of my powers. I used to cry every night at home when I was growing up. I know how much it hurts. This is why I want you to come with me. I want to help you and be your friend."

Maybe Pandora had been wrong. Z seemed liked a good person to him. He began to wonder if anything that girl had told him was actually true. As he began retracing his steps in his mind, he noticed that she always asked for him to use his powers for her own personal gain. His mind then shifted to Bugglesworth and Mora, had what they told him been lies too?

He was starting to believe they were. He smiled at the girl and just before taking her hand, a bright light engulfed her. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, a plastic doll was in her place. Bugglesworth appeared out of the blue and giggled. He snatched the doll away from him and handed it to Pandora, who entered the warehouse a few seconds later.

"I've always wanted a doll of the Yellow Ranger." Pandora smiled at the creature and back at Sam. By the look on his face, she knew he was disconcerted. The smile vanished from her face. "I thought I told you not to talk to strangers."

"She was not a stranger; she was my friend." She scoffed and stood up. What had first seemed as an easy task was no proving to be daunting. Her patience level was decreasing every waking minute she spent with the little kid. Slowly, Pandora was showing her true colors. The blonde found herself lying on the floor a few minutes later. The creature arrived to help, but was also attacked by a blast. Sam looked around for the mysterious stranger who had helped him out only to find out it had been none other than Z.

He stared at the doll. "They got one of my replicas."

She apologized for leaving him alone and stood in front of him when the villains rose from the floor. Pandora nodded to the creature after whispering something in his ear and proceeded to attack the Ranger. She didn't to leave Sam alone to face one of his captors, but she couldn't get away from the battle or her opponent would take control of the boy once again. She needed to be quick and precise. She spotted a crate on the side and decided to use it as a distraction, knowing the other would take the bait.

Z hoped her plan would work. She lifted the wooden crate up to face level with ease, as it contained nothing but small diamonds. She took a deep breath and threw it straight at Pandora. The villain grabbed a pellet of steel from her bag and placed it on her palm, wrapping her delicate hands around it. Z witnessed as her whole body transformed to pure iron. Sky had been right, this wasn't Sydney anymore. This was someone entirely different in her friend's body, which only made her madder.

Before the crane could hit her face, Pandora smashed it into nothing but splinters with her fist. She spotted Z with a smug smile on her face. She blasted the girl with everything she had, making sure she wouldn't get away. She expected the body to ground afterwards, but instead of that happening, the image simply blurred and disappeared. Pandora had been tricked. It didn't happen often. Taking care of the Yellow Ranger was now on the top of her priority list. She smashed another crate to decrease her anger and then returned to her normal state. She stomped through the building, looking for her opponent and the little boy that had defied her. No one defied Pandora and survived to tell the story.

Her eyes searched the room for her prey. She was ready to pounce and attack whoever got in her way. It wasn't like she cared who got hurt in the process. It was good not to be a regular humans with those things they called feelings. She felt much better this way.

Z later found Sam on the other side of the warehouse. The alien had his weapon lifted, ready to turn him into a doll. She reached for her blaster and aimed it at his hands. Her purpose was to make him drop his weapon. Just as he lowered his staff, she aimed. Being a creature created with a childish character, Bugglesowrth began making sounds she took for crying. The closer she got, the louder the cries got. Apparently he had the hidden talent of wanting people to stay away from it. Sam didn't seem too annoyed. He went to hide behind a pair of wooden crates. Z came out of hiding and glared at Bugglesworth. She was tired of playing this game. She would finish this now.

But before she could morph, one of Pandora's blast hit her hand and knocked it out, therefore leaving her powerless. She hoped to have more tricks up her sleeve. Pandora nodded to the creature and grabbed Z by the arms. Bugglesworth grabbed its magical staff and pointed it at Z. The weapon vanished. Soon, the three heard something breaking. Sam came out of hiding. Seeing as she was now useless, Pandora tossed the girl to the floor and walked over to the little boy. She didn't get very far.

The three other Rangers appeared and blasted her before she could react. If she stayed, this wasn't going to end well. It was time for her to abort the mission. As soon as the Rangers began firing again, she grabbed another pellet from her bag, one made of steel this time to deflect the blasts. She closed her eyes and began walking to the doorway as quickly as she could in her transformed state. The temporary distraction allowed her to exit. Bugglesworth came running behind her, still being shot at by their weapons. She would take no prisoners. No Sam also meant no Bugglesworth. He was useless now. She returned to her normal appearance and attacked him with her staff. In her mind, he was just another of Mora's obsolete creations. She felt no remorse or any feelings about leaving him behind at the mercy of the Rangers. At least the Rangers were giving him something, it was more than Grumm or the rest the Terror's tribulation would give him. She dissolved into nothing but blackened rose petals.

The rest was history.

After arresting Bugglesworth and reverting the dolls they found back to normal, the Rangers, along with their new friend, gathered in the Rec Room. Everyone was surprised to see how warmly Sam was welcomed by the rest of the cadets. To Cruger, he was not a valuable addition to his team. Sam was the son of two of his students and he intended to keep him protected at all costs. There was nothing he cherished more than someone like Sam, who valued his powers and wanted to do more to help out, event though he was small.

"We're so glad you're here." Z took the boy in her arms and hugged him like he was her own son.

"We know there aren't a lot of things you can do around the Academy. Unless you like playing with mud, which you can do at the mud course, the gym is also fun, but very tough at first, you can also go and play with the computers at the Command Center, but I don't think Kat…" Z hit Bridge's shoulder and cleared her throat.

"What Bridge wants to say is that we've got something for you." She rephrased and stepped back, revealing a basketball and a bicycle with a big red bow in the handles. Sam grinned and thanked everyone before getting on his bike and taking it around the Academy for a small drive. After he left, the Rangers sat at the couch.

"Why did you feel the need to go after him alone?" Bridge asked casually.

She inhaled sharply and recalled her painful past. "When I was about the age of Sam, I was also harassed at school because of my abilities. I was 'Freaky Z' to the kids. Even the teacher hated me. I was so sad and depressed that one day, I decided to run away."

"There I was, on the park all by myself after creating a replica of myself at school so one would suspect I was missing. As I walked through the park to clear my head, I accidentally bumped into an alien. I was wearing a necklace my parents had given for my birthday; he grabbed it and ripped it off my neck. Before I could do anything, a cloaked figure stepped in and attacked the alien. I never saw the creature or my necklace again."

Then something surprising happened. Cruger stepped out of the shadows and requested Z to extend her hand and open it. She did as told and before she knew it; her golden Z necklace was back with her. She stared at the Commander with tear-filled eyes. She put it back on almost immediately. "Thank you Commander."

"I'm sorry it took this long, Cadet Delgado." She offered him a kind smile.

"You don't need to apologize, Commander. You were only trying to protect me." He shook hands with his Cadet and left for a meeting afterwards. She sat down again and marveled at her necklace, smiling like an utter fool.

"It's a piece of art." Bridge mentioned casually. This represented an advance to Z. It was small but it was better than nothing. At least he had complimented something that belonged to her. Unfortunately, it hadn't been her face or her body. Was her crush pointless? Would Bridge ever understand her feeling toward him? She would just have to wait and see for herself. That was if the wait didn't kill her.


	30. Shadow

**Chapter 30- Shadow**

She had failed. It wasn't something she had never experienced before and never planned on doing again. No one beat Pandora. The Rangers would get what they deserved. Grumm was furious. To her, furious was an understatement. He'd spent the last two hours trashing Krybots in the docks, screaming like a madman. He had even threatened Mora that he would make her into Morgana again if she ever made an alien that stupid again. With that in mind, Pandora doubted that Mora would keep being Mora for long. Not with her latest creations anyway.

She believed in searching the universe for the deadliest and most dangerous aliens and sending them out to battle. To her, the little girl's abilities were only good when Grumm was extremely desperate and had nothing to do but send them to battle his enemies, only to get captured by the Rangers. Just last week, the Rangers had captured three of her aliens, not counting Bugglesworth. He had been the cherry on top of the pie. Although he had given them a certain advantage with the dolls that were now being transformed to fuel, neither Grumm nor Pandora were satisfied with him. He had been expendable, just like the other aliens.

The gears in her evil head began turning to concoct a new master plan. She was interrupted by a beep coming from the computer's observatory. It had been hours since it had started the search and it had finally found something that would make her master proud. She pulled up the image on the window and analyzed the readings. According to the radar, there were some strong energy signals coming from Zora. She smiled smugly. It was exactly the place she wanted to go to.

This was going to be easy, she would shoot two birds with one stone.

She changed into a pair of dark leather pants she had recently purchased, which she expected would be uncomfortable, surprisingly they were not. They made her feel like a warrior. When the vendor told her they were made with the best leather in the whole galaxy, she thought the alien had just been playing with her. Apparently he had not been joking after all. She replaced her black vest and long-sleeved shirt with a sheer, Victorian style blouse with a high collar and long sleeves. She put on her black leather trenchcoat and her knee-high, low heeled botos with laces. She topped off the look with a pin of her brand she had gotten on one of her many expeditions.

She grabbed her bag and vanished into thin air, leaving behind her usual trace of blackened rose petals.

**SPD Command Center**

Kat was making the last security checkups on the Command Center's computer while the Rangers were gathered around the table, joking about their recent rendez-vous with Bugglesworth. They couldn't stop themselves from making jokes about the fact the creature had actually cried before getting arrested. So much

Z was laughing so hard, she could hardly breathe. "I couldn't believe it. One of Grumm's monster's crying."

"Maybe he was sensitive." Bridge suggested.

"Yeah, overly sensitive. He didn't just cry, he weeped." Jack said, making the others laugh, except for Sky who thought they were just being childish. Whatever had happened was in the past, there was no need for them to keep bringing it up. Besides the fact the jokes weren't funny, he himself didn't find it amusing that they were using the Command Center as their new Rec Room. He was about to suggest to the others to continue their banter on another place when Cruger walked inside. They saluted, but he ignored them and simply snarled. They sat down again. Any amusement they had had been killed by the snarl, no one dared to talk.

"What are you laughing at?"

"We were just…" Bridge answered politely before getting cut off.

"May I remind you that you are in the SPD Command Center. I expect my cadets to behave accordingly. If you want to laugh, go to another place around the Academy." Cruger growled. They all suspected there was something wrong with him, but no one knew exactly what. The first thing that came to the Green Ranger's mind was fleas. His bulldog had gotten fleas once and it was cranky while he had them. He let the thought slip when Cruger turned to Kat, growling at her. "I don't want to hear from you either, Kat. I've dealt with enough today."

Jack got on his feet and glared at him, raising his voice, he stated "You can't talk to us like that. I don't care who you are. If we had actually done something wrong, we'd gladly accept your patronizing, but this is simply ridiculous."

"Standing up for your team, Cadet Landors?" The words to reply got caught in the Red Ranger's throat. He had no idea where the sudden courage had come from. "It's about time you show a shred of that leadership I thought I saw in you because up until this point, I have seen none."

Landors had nothing more to say to him. Next thing they knew, the Commander was ordering Jack to lead his team away. They hesitated at first, but when Cruger shouted "Out!" it was clear he didn't want to see them. Even though she didn't ay anything, Kat knew exactly what was happening, so she followed the Rangers to the Rec Room.

While they left, he turned back and took a longing look at the saber he had bowed to never use again. He was tempted to grab it, but never again. Not after failing not only himself but everything and everyone he cared about.

"Is it me or was the Commander's behavior weird?" Z asked perplexed by what she had just witnessed. Normally, Cruger was friendly yet strict. He had never spoken to them this way.

"It's just stress, Z. Besides he has a point, the Command Center is not a place to laugh to be laughing in." She raised her eyebrows at Sky's statement. The look in her eyes made him take back his words. "Ok, his behavior was strange and it was totally uncalled for."

"Back when Cruger and his colleagues founded the first SPD in his home planet, Sirius, they were attacked by Grumm and the Troobian Army. He lost everything during that fight." She took a deep breath and crossed her arms. "That doesn't mean I support his behavior. The way he spoke to you was simply terrible. I'll try to talk to him."

"Let's just hope he listens." Sky muttered.

**The Terror**

The trip to Zora had been short for Pandora. She expected it to last longer due to the complications. No such complications existed; she had gathered everything she needed and not only that, she had also gathered a new ally that would help her accomplish her next plan. She spotted Mora by the Observatory and made a gesture for the girl to follow her to Throne Room. Once inside, she revealed what, more specifically who, she had brought back.

"Look who I found hanging out at an auction house in Zora."

Grumm's eyes lighted up. He was either extremely angry or happy. Pandora hoped it would be the latter. "Benaag."

"We meet again, Emperor." The dark creature bowed its head and sneered. "I see you have humans doing your dirty work now."

Neither of the girls appreciated the disrespectful commentary. When Pandora had spoken to Benaag at the bar for the first time, she noticed the hate in his voice when he spoke to her. It was clear he hated human. Too bad for him. If he was staying, he would be collaborating with them on a daily basis to defeat the Rangers. And she knew that no matter what his feelings were towards humans, they all had a common objective. Destroying Earth and SPD was their mission.

Pandora rolled her eyes and decided to ignore the comment. She didn't expect less from a criminal. Mora, on the other hand, simply lost it. "We've accomplished more in 6 months than you have in five years, hose head. Don't make me angry or you will pay the consequences."

Benaag let out a loud laugh and mocked the girl's voice. Annoyed, she wiggled her finger and gestured for him to move closer. She put her mouth to his ear and instead of whispering something, she blasted him. He fell back, stunned by the attack. Both girls gave themselves a high five and grinned. "How's that for a human, Benaag?"

Turning her attention back to Grumm, Pandora suggested "If we are going to defeat SPD, we need to destroy it piece by piece."

"Your plan better not be like the last one or I will…"

"Imprison me in an asteroid, lock me in my room, send me out to Savage, make me play with Mora for more than an hour, clean the ship, clean your stinky shoes…" She trailed off. "There is nothing you can possible threaten me with anymore. And if you remember well, I'm the best chance you've got at beating Cruger."

She had a point. "Fine, spit it out!"

Mora spoke up next, like they had rehearsed the speech before coming in. "We take out their leader. Without him, they're nothing but a bunch of whiny cadets."

"Since this is your plan too, I really hope it works." He got up close to Mora's face, his eyes illuminated and full of rage. "If it doesn't, I will turn you back to the way I found you."

The little girl nodded and clutched her doll in fear. Benagg left after she told him exactly what to do. Broodwing appeared seconds later. "You called me in?"

"We need a distraction."

Lucky for her, she didn't have to plan anything anymore. Broodwing had already planned out his strategy. When they heard it, they were more than satisfied. After agreeing to her part in the plan, Pandora left to the Observatory, carefully calculating her moves. That's when she noticed something very interesting on the screen. Her lips curled into an evil smile.

"Hello Z, we meet again."

**Earth**

Z had gone out to the park for a run to clear her head of everything that had gone down earlier in the day. She could understand more than anyone what it felt like to be stripped of everything you once loved. It had only been a few years since she had become an orphan. Luckily, Jack had come into the picture only a couple of years after she had turned 16. Offering his kindness and friendship, she took it without hesitation. They had been friends ever since. It was getting hard being the only girl in the team. She had always hung out with boys, but when Syd came into the picture, it was a breath of fresh air. They could gossip and had conversations about things they couldn't talk about with the guys present. Every moment they had was cherished by Z, more than Syd would ever know.

As she stopped to rest, she couldn't help but feel someone's eyes on her back. She turned back and saw nothing. Maybe she was just imagining things. Lately, it had been happening a lot. She removed the though from her head and continued running towards the hills. She planned to sit down and watch the sunset. There was nothing more calming or more beautiful than witnessing a sunset. A blast that was intended for her but instead hit a tree made her forget about her plans.

When she turned back, she saw Pandora. "Hello Z."

"What do you want?"

"Does every little visit I pay you have to have an ulterior motive?" The Ranger wouldn't even answer that. _All _her visits had an ulterior motive. She would just cut straight to the chase. This girl got on Z's nerves. "Just tell me what you want."

The villain summoned her weapon and caught Z off guard, sending a couple of waves of energy her way. She groaned upon hitting the floor. She morphed and got up from the floor, ambushing the other girl. The permanent smirk on Pandora's face gave her the creeps. To save herself some time and space, the Yellow Ranger used her blaster on Pandora a few times. She sighed in relief when she was her fall to the ground, clutching her stomach.

"Z, help me." She wasn't going to fall for her tricks. The girl lifted her head from the ground, her eyes and her hair had changed. She squinted and swore that the girl on the ground was none other but her best friend. She rushed over to the figure on the ground and helped her up.

She got back on her feet and recited a few words in a language Z didn't recognize. She laid eyes on her silver bracelet. The bracelet's symbols illuminated themselves as the girl pronounced the words. Seconds later, a battle suit similar to Morgana's covered the girl's body. It had some pretty noticeable differences, though.

This suit was a darker shade of purple and from the looks of the helmet; it had been inspired by a bat. A pair of bat ears protruded from the top and four silver fangs topped off the visor. Z seriously hoped that it wouldn't have wings.

She set aside her fear and rushed into action. She would not show any fear to her enemies. Not today, not ever. She used her blaster several times, hoping to at least disable her. The other girl, even though she wasn't short of weapons, blocked the majority of the shots and disposed of her weapons. She was confident she could the Yellow Ranger without anything to help but the suit. Z was amazed at Pandora's ability to withstand pain.

Pandora extended her arms and lifted herself off the ground slowly. Z was taken aback when the girl flew straight at her, slashing her with the blades hidden in her wrists' armor. The Yellow Ranger was now the one in the ground. She groaned, trying to recover. Upon discovering that Pandora had disappeared, she grabbed her morpher but before she could say anything to her friends, a figure came diving straight at her from the top of the trees.

She demorphed. Pandora lowered her helmet and shoved something into Z's hand. It was a sphere of some kind. "Be sure to give that to Cruger."

As Z laid eyes upon her, she noticed her eyes and hair had turned back to normal. She wondered about what had happened. Had it been a trick? Maybe, maybe not. It had looked like it was actually Sydney begging for her help. Hang in there, Syd. Z though to herself.

**The Command Center**

Z arrived almost stumbling from all the parts that hurt in her body. She could barely speak from the shortness of breath. She handed the sphere to Dr. Manx and pointed to Cruger.

"Message." Noticing he condition, Bridge helped her sit down. Trying to get information out of Z was proving to be impossible. The lack of air and the exhaustion in her body had taken almost all her energy. They turned their attention when a holographic message began playing. Cruger immediately snarled upon seeing who it was from. "Benaag."

Kat put a hand on his shoulder to remind him where he was and his position. He had always admired that quality in her. It was incredible how she could make someone feel better without even saying any words.

"Hello Doggie. I hope you haven't lost your touch because of all these of years of inactivity." Benaag smirked at his last sentence. "I'm sorry for not sending this earlier. I was training, you see, training for our last battle. If you refuse me, you'll see the consequences." The message ended.

"I was afraid it would come to this." Kat left the room for a moment and came back with a box. "I made it for you."

"I won't do it." Snarled Cruger.

"Doggie, please! You can't send the Cadets to fight him. They're just kids." She understood how hard it was for him. With all the atrocities Benaag had commited against Doggie, for him to actually was a crazy idea. But sending a bunch of kids was the craziest idea she had ever heard coming out of his mouth. She would simply not allow it to happen. She would even lock the doors of the Command Center if it was needed.

Cruger had clearly gone bonkers. "They were kids, Kat."

"I know you're scared but you can't allow what happened in Sirius to mark your entire life." She declared, a little more fervently this time. "Do this for Isinia."

Cruger growled louder than he had ever done before. "Leave!"

"They have a right to know, you stubborn old dog." Kat insisted in hoped that this would make him realize how ridiculous he was sounding. "I'm going for a walk. When Doggie is back, he can come find me."

"You can't keep running away! The past will keep haunting you if you don't take stand against your fears!"

She left without another word. The Rangers were amazed by the way Kat had stood up to the Commander. No one dared to say anything, except maybe for Jack, but to actually walk out on the Commander you had to have guts.

She was beyond furious. His stubbornness was escalating. She understood him more than anyone in the world, but this was simply not how he behaved. He had become a coward at the wrong time. The Rangers needed him now more than ever and he was in the Command Center, shouting orders like a dictator instead of actually listening to them. As for Isinia, she didn't regret saying her name, as much it could have hurt her friend, they needed to know about what had really happened that night. That was the crucial part.

She stopped in her tracks when Pandora appeared before her, wielding her new blade and suit. Now she understood what the other meant when they about the girl. Having only seen pictures of the new version of Rogue, Kat hadn't thought that she would look this scary. Her cold eyes and that smirk gave her chills. The girl cocked her head and summoned a small army of Krybots. "Get her!"

At first, she let a pair drag her all the way to concrete column. Once she was close enough she placed her feet and elevated herself, making an impressive backwards flip to get away from them. With her claws bared, she began attacking. She grabbed one of them by the arm and lifted herself from the ground, kicking the second Krybot with her leg. It stumbled backwards. It was a shame it hadn't been destroyed completely. She fended off the other attacker with another kick with the same results. She wanted a morpher for herself badly. She smirked at her thought. Her as a Ranger… only in dreams.

For someone so passive, Pandora had to admit that Doctor Manx had very good fighting skills. If she hadn't been in Cruger's team, maybe Grumm would have been interested in hiring the doctor. It was a shame she had to get killed. That's what you get for allying yourself with the wrong people, she thought. As the battle continued, the feline seemed to have the upper hand. A tiny spark of hope for Pandora emerged when the two Krybots finally overpowered their enemy. Just as she was about to pat herself on the back, her plan shattered before her. Out of nowhere came a robotic dog who had taken the robots out with one single move. She groaned. There would be no more distractions, no more obstructions. She closed her eyes and gathered a large energy blast, potent enough to destroy it. The blast hit RIC while he ran to Kat. "RIC!"

"If you want things done, do them for yourself." The villain grabbed Kat by the arm and put a pair of handcuffs around her wrist. She summoned an Orange Krybot. "Carry this pile of trash" She pointed to RIC. "to our location. I will use it later."

Kat could feel the tip of a blade on her back, so she began walking. It was in these moments that she really wanted to be more than a Doctor. After almost an hour of walking they finally stopped at the base of a mountain. There was a truck, probably stolen, she guessed. The girl motioned for her to get in. She did as ordered. "See, General Benaag, I'm not that useless."

"No, but you're still a human."

"And you're still ugly." She closed the door of the truck and locked it. Kat was placed on silver chair by a couple of Krybots. Three silver poles forming a perfect triangle surrounded the chair. Pandora pressed a button. A strong force field now prevented her from escaping. "I brought her and a way to deliver your new message yet you manage to keep nagging me about being human."

"Apart from being human, you are also extremely annoying. You and that little girl should be imprisoned on a meteor." His eyes searched her body. "No wonder Broodwing hates you."

"For your information, Grumm already tried that and it didn't work. I escaped after luring two of the guards inside my cell." She sneered and grabbed one of the holocams the Krybots had stolen. Getting the footage she wanted, she placed the ball on RIC's mouth and gave a small jolt to its system to get it running. "Don't take this the wrong way but after ten takes, you still don't get any prettier."

Benaag was getting tired of this pest Grumm called an ally. He didn't understand how the Emperor could have fallen so low. Hiring humans and not enslaving them, losing one of his horns had affected him more than Benaag thought possible. The little girl was just a fly buzzing in the background, Pandora was a pest. He had really sunk to a new level in his desperation.

He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. The girl groaned, trying to break his grasp with her tiny hands. It was of no use, he was much stronger than her. He got close to her face, too close for her own liking.

"You're nothing but a piece of trash Grumm picked out of pure pity and desperation. You can pretend all you want but you will never be a Troobian." The words of the general even hurt Kat. He carried her around and finally placed her on a chair beside Doctor Manx's. She gasped for air when he let go. Even inhaling air hurt her throat, she was sure she would have a bruise tomorrow. "When Grumm takes over, there will be no place for you. I'll spare him the chore of getting rid of the pests by doing it myself."

He put a belt around her waist. It was identical to Kat's. Before she could do anything, a force field pulled her back to her seat. She turned back to the feline and groaned. "When I get out of here, I'll…"

"You mean, if I get out of here. By the looks of it, Cruger won't come. Just like he didn't come for her." Kat hissed in reply, hoping Doggie would come to his right mind. Benaag disappeared and the girls were left alone inside the truck. Kat averted her eyes to the young girl. "I shouldn't have trusted him. From the beginning, I noticed he hated our kind, but I never thought…"

Kat completed her sentence, "He would kill you." The girl nodded and put her head on her hands, taking deep breaths. Moments later, she straightened up. The woman took a good look at her and noticed the baby blues and the golden curls. She immediately spoke up, "Syd?"

"Kat, I don't have much time. I need…." She groaned and her eyes closed for a few seconds before reopening them, revealing the same dead eyes and dull hair Pandora had. "That was strange."

The girl shrugged and smiled. Despite the fact that she was talking to a villain, they both needed to get out. There was no way they would get out without destroying the force fields. Despite several attempts to break the wall with her powers, Pandora was still inside. Both fell back on their individual platforms when the truck began to shake violently. They had nothing to hold on to. Several seconds later, it stopped.

"What was that? An earthquake?"

"Worse." Pandora answered grimly. Since there was nothing else to do but sit there and wait, she began telling Doctor Manx about the needles. No harm could come of it since both were trapped there without any means of communication.

An hour later, RIC stumbled inside the Command Center, falling down upon arrival. He shut down completely and released the ball. "RIC!"

She passed the holo-mail on to Bridge so he could play it. Before he could do anything, the ground began shaking for the second time in an hour. They had received images from the cameras of a needle that had been placed at the central square. Up until now, 6 needles had already been installed. Boom had taken over Kat's duties while she had gone. As clumsy as he was, he was honestly trying to do his best. He could tell Cruger wasn't happy with his performance.

Once the shaking subsided, Bridge played the message. Benaag's image popped up on the message. "If you're not brave enough to face me yourself Cruger, them maybe this might give you a little incentive." The camera switched to Kat's face.

"It's a trap!" She warned him.

"You should listen to her more often. Maybe if you hadn't been so stubborn, she wouldn't be here." The angle of the camera lowered and pointed to a belt. "If you don't come to the Canyon by 6 and face me, well, let's just say that there will be no more Doctor Manx."

The message ended with the line "Don't let history repeat itself Cruger."

"What does Benaag mean by that, Commander?"

"I'm afraid Kat didn't tell you the whole story." Doggie turned to them and sighed before continuing his story. "Sirius wasn't the only thing that was taken from me. My honor, my courage, my will to fight disappeared after I discovered that I was the only one that had survived the attack. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, I heard Isinia, my wife screaming in the distance."

The Rangers stayed silent, taking in his story. Sky shed a tear for the Commander and wiped it away quickly. "Krybots surrounded me and I had to take them out to get to her. Then I heard one final scream and everything felt silent. He killed my wife. I never found the body."

Z put her hand on his shoulder and expressed her condolences. "We're all very sorry for your loss, Commander."

Boom whistled loudly and pointed at the screen. He certainly didn't know how to be discrete. The results for the tests he had run on the needles were finally back and they were not good. "We can't let them place that needle. If the computer is right, its placing would result in major seismic activity that could destroy the city."

That was when Cruger decided what to do. It was time to stop being a coward. Not only for himself, but for the whole city he vowed to protect. He grabbed the sable and opened the box Kat had left him. Inside, laid a gray morpher she had specifically designed for him. He took it in his hands and stared at the Rangers. He gave Sky orders to use the magnets on his Delta Runner to lift the spikes while he took care of Benaag at the canyon. Without protest, Sky morphed and slid to his chopper.

"The rest of you, go help him out as well."

"Sir, Z and I can go with you while Bridge helps Sky." The Red Ranger.

"This is my battle, Cadet Landors."

**NewTech Canyon**

He arrived at exactly 6 PM. He scanned the area, looking for any discrepancies. Benaag would sure have a trick up his sleeve. Not knowing exactly what it was would turn out to be a huge problem later on, he suspected. The fog would make it hard to see in battle. He'd been through worse back in Sirius. Nothing would stop him from getting Kat back.

A dark figure came out of the fog and stepped into the light. Benaag. He growled and stepped close enough to observe him. Seemed like the years hadn't affected him one bit. He looked exactly like he had done back in Sirius. Cruger he was still as strong. The more he would enjoy defeating him if it was a fair fight. He wasn't going to get ahead of himself, Grumm's allies were strong. He was too.

"Where's Doctor Manx?"

Benaag extended his arm toward the direction of a truck on the canyon's road. He blasted the front of the truck, forming a hole large enough to see that Kat was inside. She was trapped behind a force field. If Boom had been right, his main concern was to get that belt off Kat's body before the timer struck 0. If not, her body's particles would disperse. That meant she would be gone forever. "Before you can battle me, you must prove that you're a worthy opponent."

"I'm not here to play games, Benaag!"

"I make the rules here, Cruger! Don't forget that with the press of a button, I can make your dear friend disappear forever." He pointed to a pair of Krybots holding two separate controls, each with a red button. Another hole was punched in its surface, revealing Pandora sitting inside the truck. That answered the question he was about to ask. "A former student of yours, I believe."

"No." He stated firmly. Pandora had never been his student, Sydney was. This was certainly not her.

"Then you won't have a problem with me destroying her instead of Doctor Manx." Cruger stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't let Benaag hurt someone else, especially not the girl he had vowed to save and get back. Even if Cadet Drew wasn't present, it was still her body inside that force field. He shook his head and finally said, "I won't let you take another life, no matter who it is. Tell me what you want."

"Before you can battle me, you must take out a hundred Krybots." He stepped aside only to reveal the largest flock of robotic soldiers he had seen since that dreadful night at Sirius. Lucky for Cruger, he wasn't alone in this. When the general ordered them to attack, he was more than prepared. He exposed the morpher Kat had made for him. "SPD Emergency!"

He would forever cherish Benaag's reaction to his new upgrade. Benaag certainly wasn't expecting Cruger to have any tricks under his sleeve. "Did I forget that you only have an hour or your friend disappears?"

Cruger felt confident now that the tables had turned. This was his chance to prove that he still had it in him. He wouldn't be a coward anymore. He couldn't forget for who he was doing this for. He tightened the grip on his Shadow Saber and literally began ripping apart the Krybots like they were just a piece of paper. Both angered and passion fueled his body into winning.

His wild slashed did everything from completely mutitaling the Krybots into pieces of junk to splitting them in half. Kat cheered on him from her small prison. "Come on, Doggie!"

Encouraged by his friend, he continued his rampage until no Krybot was left standing. He walked away from the rubble and immediately engaged in battle with his enemy. He tried the same technique that he had with the Krybots, ignoring the fact that his enemy was equipped with powerful lasers. After a single laser blast sent him to the ground, Benaag let out a cackle and began mocking him. "Doggie Cruger on the ground. Looks like history's about to repeat itself. The clock is still ticking and you have only a few minutes before she turns into nothing."

"Doggie!" Kat shouted. She was desperate. The clock on her belt read a mere five minutes. The other girl was just sitting there, crossing her leg like there was nothing wrong. Didn't she realize she was about to die.

"Tapping the walls won't get you out." Pandora was right, Kat took a seat and put her head between her hands. Crying wouldn't get her out either. She needed to stay positive.

"Come on, you can do this!" She cheered even though her whole body was shaking.

Had it really been that long since the fight had begun? To him, it had just been a few mere seconds. It was time for a new strategy. He stood up and adjusted his grip. He hoped it would work. The Shadow Ranger began running toward Benaag, holding his saber in front of him. When the general fired his laser, he stopped and put his other hand on the tip, holding it horizontally.

At first, it seemed that his strategy was to absorb but the blast. How Benaag had been wrong.

Seconds ticked away as Doggie fought. Kat was about to burst into tears when something amazing happened. With just 10 seconds left, Doggie sent the laser blast her way, shattering both the force field and the belt. She sighed and smiled. She would have to celebrate later; Pandora was now the one in trouble. She walked to the console in front of her and deactivated the other platform's force field. When the mechanism was off the other girl's body, she let out a huge sigh of relief. Doggie had not only saved one but two lives.

"Thank you, Doctor Manx." Pandora said gently. "I'm in your debt."

It was nice to know she had some decency left. Kat watched as Pandora walked out through the hole in the truck. A couple of blasts later, the back door opened. "It wasn't safe to get out the other way. We're even now."

Kat nodded. If she had stepped through the hole, she would have fallen to her death. The girl had strange way of settling her debts. The Doctor would just take whatever she could get. She stepped without fear and continued walking until Pandora stopped her.

"Stay here, you'll get hurt." Very strange girl, Kat thought to herself. The girl crossed her arms and watched the battle from a distance along with the Doctor. Cruger continued running until he got a clear shot to his stomach. He slashed him in a diagonal motion. Benaag had finally fallen. "Oh how the mighty have fallen."

The alien groaned and got on his feet once again. Seeing red, he launched himself against the Shadow Ranger. What a big mistake. After a clean and swift slash, the mighty general fell. This time he wouldn't get up again. Cruger wouldn't give him the chance. Clicking on his morpher, he let the judgement of General Benaag begin. "You are accused of the destruction of five planets, of atrocities committed all throughout the galaxy and of killing my wife, Isinia Cruger."

The verdict was in: charged guilty for the first accusations but innocent for the last one. Puzzled by the answer, Cruger looked at him for an answer. "You're fool, Cruger. You think you know everything!"

He'd had enough. He clicked on his morpher after obtaining the two guilty charges. Seconds later, General Benaag's image had been encased inside a containment card. Kat picked it up and gave it to him. "Thank you, Doggie."

The Cadets arrived seconds later. They couldn't help but marvel at Kat's new creation. The suit was a dark gray, with details in red. His matching helmet even had space for his ears. It was simply amazing. They joined the Commander and Kat. "I hear congratulations are in order, Cruger."

They turned back at the sound of Pandora's voice.

"What do you want?" Jack asked aggressively.

"Calm down, Red Ranger. I have no business with you." She walked closer, forcing everyone to adopt a defensive position. She scoffed and walked right past them. "Thank you for taking care of that traitor. Grumm will be happy to hear the news. As for you, Rangers… I hope you plan on getting stronger. The needles were just the beginning."

She took a step back and vanished in front of them. To say they were all perplexed by her statement was an understatement. She was right, if Benaag had been this tough, they couldn't begin to imagine what would be next for them. They had to get stronger.

Even though Benaag was locked away, one question plagued Cruger's mind. Who had killed Isinia?

**The Terror**

"You lying sack of bones!" Pandora shouted upon entering the throne room. "I know about your little scheme with Broodwing and Benaag. I found the money in the truck…"

Grumm's eyes lighted up. He sent a bolt her way. It was intended to shut her up. She barely dodged it. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you paid Benaag to have me killed. You and Broodwing both."

He stood up from his throne and put a hand on his shoulder. "You really think I would do something like that?"

"Actually yes." She answered defiantly.

"I need you." It sounded like a sincere confession to the girl. "You and Morgana are the only ones I trust. Unlike Broodwing, you have no secret agendas."

She rolled her eyes and nodded. She replayed Bennag's words from earlier. _No wonder Broodwing hates you. _She had never liked Broodwing. He lied as often as he got Grumm new 'allies'. But for now, it was better they kept their feelings to themselves. As much as she hated to admit it, having him on evil's side was an advantage. As long as he kept doing his job without any more stunts like that one, they wouldn't have a problem.

The ship suddenly began shaking violently. The girl was thrown halfway across the room, hitting her head on the nearest wall. As the shaking subsided, she found her balance and got back on her feet. The lights had gone out. A familiar eerie green glow engulfed the room. Grumm grunted. She couldn't decipher of the look in is eyes was one of fear or anger.

"Leave now!" He screamed. She nodded and ran out of the room. She noticed the rest of the ship's lights had remained intact. She was tempted to press her ear against the door. It would be unwise if she did, if Grumm caught her… she didn't even want to imagine.

Inside the room, Grumm struggled with words. "We'll get them, Magnificence. Cruger will get defeated. Earth will be destroyed."

The room shook violently once again.

"We have almost everything we need."

Satisfied by his answer, the lights went on again. He began thinking of different strategies to defeat his enemies. This had to be done quickly or he feared something very bad would happen to him. Earth had been by far his most difficult challenge yet. He hated Cruger.

It was critical that now more than ever, he got an advantage. He feared that next time, Omni wouldn't be so patient.


	31. Darkness Falls

_Author's note: Sorry for the wait! I was very busy. My boyfriend's back from Canada and I hadn't seem him for 6 months, so I've been spending plenty of time with him. Here's the chapter! More to come! Review!_

**Chapter 31- Darkness Falls**

Pandora was beginning to worry. Grumm hadn't stepped foot out of the throne room in 48 hours. With no one to order her around, she had plenty of free time. She was no slacker, though. Training for four hours against Orange and Blue Head Krybots was all that she had done of the last two days. If she was going to beat the Rangers, she would have to be in the best physical condition. She was certainly not doing that if she just sat around the ship. Other people didn't think the same. Mora had spent the whole week holed up in her room, wallowing and lamenting herself over Sam's loss. Frankly, it was getting quite annoying.

It simply wasn't fun anymore. She knew something weird was going on when Grumm didn't even threaten her or the little girl even once in the last 48 hours. She groaned and went to the Observatory. After turning on the computer's radar and enlarging its image on the window's surface, she opened her desk's drawer and took out a large tome on the topic of Troobian Magic. It was evident the free time was affecting her. Never before had she expressed an interest in it, but the recent events sparked something inside her. Unlike Morgana, she didn't have the gift. That didn't mean she wasn't interested in learning its history. She remembered Grumm had once told her that it was invaluable weapon during battle. Maybe that's what she needed to up her game.

She opened up the book to the fifth chapter entitled "Elemental Magic". The more she read, the more interested she became. Pandora's eye suddenly caught something on the page. After reading on the elements she would never get to control, she finally caught a break. She smiled when she read the title of the section.

_**Darkness**_

_The dark, unknown to most, maybe the most important and most abundant element in existence. Its existence is ignored galaxy-wide. This is one of the most fundamental mistakes all living creatures commit on a daily basis. Darkness exists on every creature with free will. It is present on a different level on each individual. Saying that there is no darkness is simple blasphemy. Just like without evil there can be no good, without darkness there would be no light. It will always be present. There is no way to completely get rid of it._

_Having said that, increasing the darkness inside's one soul is easier than making it decrease. The most common method to do so is the ingestion of the drug Black Crystal in large doses. Other methods, such as coming into possession of one of the three Troobian Darkness Stone, are unknown to non-Troobians. Possessing the Stone is not an easy task. Simply touching it is already a risk. The ones who comes into possession of one of them should be warned that the power that comes with the Stones is both great and deadly. Prolonged exposure to its powers can cause death._

_If the reader is brave enough to go after one the three Stones, there is a map indicating each of the locations the Troobian Mages hid them in. _

Pandora's eyes shifted to an old map of Troobia. She groaned. The planet had been destroyed over a century ago. With that in mind, she lost any hope of ever finding a Stone. They were gone forever.

She laid eyes on the book again and began reading, in hopes of finding another way of becoming stronger without the Stone. _Another way to increase the darkness, probably the hardest if you have a heart is through murder. Humans call it a sin. To us Troobians, it is the vilest act that can be committed by any being. Murder is the quickest way…_

She stopped reading. She was ruthless, but murder seemed like something only Grumm would do. This wasn't her style. At least she would conserve that small shred of decency she had left in her. She placed her hand on the map, trailing the locations with her fingers longingly. She wanted the Stones of Darkness badly. Before she could close the book, a bright purple glow emerged from the paper. She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was a clear outline of a NewTech city map in its place. She traced her finger over a small point drawn over the city square's plaza.

"Just as I was about to give up hope." She read further on the subject. _Each of the three Stones is looked after by a guardian. The guardians will not only protect them with physical means but also with magic. The guardians must be trained Mages. They will do anything to keep the stone from falling into the wrong hands…_

She shut the tome and put it inside a drawer on the desk. Interrupting Grumm was unwise; she would just have to do this all by herself. But first, she needed a distraction. Lucky for her, she knew exactly who to call for help.

**SPD Base**

Awoken by the alarms at exactly 1 am, the Rangers headed to the Command Center wearing their pajamas. What an ungodly hour Grumm had chosen to attack. None of them had had enough sleep. Three hours wasn't much. They shrugged it off and saluted the Commander.

"There's a disturbance downtown." The picture of an alien on rampage shoed up on the screen. "Be careful. Drakel is a Vampirinoid."

"What's a Vampirinoid, Kat?" Z rubbed her eyes.

"An alien with the ability to absorb its opponents' energy." Cruger answered through his helmet. Clearly, he was ready for action. "We cannot go unmorphed. We'll be easy prey."

After morphing they stepped onto the city square, their eyes darting all over the place. The dark itself allowed plenty of places to hide for Drakel. Weapons out and ready, they split up. Each one of the Rangers covered a different alley. They'd asked Kat to open a line of communication between all of them just in case they didn't have time to retrieve their morphers. The only thing audible was each of their breaths. Bridge, Sky, Jack and Z had already confirmed there was no sign of the alien. They all wondered what'd happened to Shadow Ranger.

Sky tried contacting him, but all he got from him was static. "He isn't answering. There must be something blocking his communication."

"Try your morpher." Z suggested.

He tried, but static was all he got again. "Still nothing. Let's regroup."

The four Rangers joined in the square. They began moving stealthily to their Commander's location. A loud growl on their communication system stopped them from moving farther. It was like someone had turned on the volume on each of their helmets. Then, it ceased. The Red Ranger made a signal for Yellow and him to get closer while the Blue and Green Rangers stayed behind in case they needed backup. Green and Blue stood on opposite sides of an alley, waiting for further instructions from their teammates.

They moved in only after their leader told them it was safe. "Where's the Commander?"

It wasn't until they heard a commotion on the following block that they realized where he'd gone. Upon joining him, they encountered the terrible Drakel. It was a tough fight from the look of it. One of the creatures many specialties was physical combat, according to SPD's extensive database of intergalactic criminals. He was also known for his draining powers, which made him very dangerous. The tentacles on his back were deadly. Once inside, the absorption was almost unstoppable. With blasters aimed directly at Darkel's head, they began firing. The alien didn't seem affected, though. On the contrary, he seemed to get more powerful with every blast. Cruger's Shadow Saber wasn0t being of much help either. According to the alien, the powerful strikes had merely tickled him.

Desperate was an understatement for them. They had nothing else to attack the alien with. Using RIC was a good idea, but it was still getting fixed by Kath. Cruger wasn't doing any better. Out of all of them, he was doing the worst. He'd battled with Drakel for almost half an hour ago and not even a scratch. On the alien, that was. The Commander had taken the worst hits.

"You can't stop me!"

Z fired a powerful blast from her Deltamax Striker. He positioned himself to receive it. "Thank you for the gift, Ranger." He sneered.

Immediately after taking the hit, he ambushed the Commander into a wall. Once Doggie had unmorphed, Drakel took his chance. His tentacles slithered through his back, crawling like hungry snakes for mice. Slowly, one of them found a way to its prey's neck. Upon feeling the prick, Cruger knew he was doomed. He felt his energy leaving him, slowly being drained from his body. He was fading fast. The street and the Rangers simple blurs in his sight.

Everything went black.

Retrieving the tentacle, Drakel began walking away. The Rangers were no match for him now. Each of his tentacles acted like a whip against his remaining enemies. With enough force to stop them from chasing after him, he smashed each one of them into the walls. They had expected Drakel to come after them too and absorb their energy. Apparently not. He disappeared a few seconds later.

Battered and hurt, they slowly approached their fallen leader. After an aura scan, Bridge concluded he was still alive, barely he clarified. Cruger's life was now hanging by a threat and they were fighting alone an unbeatable foe. Grumm was sure snickering at their dismay somewhere in the galaxy.

**NewTech City Library**

Her plan had worked to perfection. While Drakel created the perfect distraction, she had come into possession of a Stone. The book must have been wrong. The Troobian Mage behind its protection had barely given her a fight. She had learned his name was Larkin when he kindly introduced himself when she first set foot in the store. Even though he'd greeted Pandora warmly, she knew Larkin sensed something dark in her from the moment she walked inside. He had been apprehensive when she asked about the rock. She didn't take long to find it.

With a deep purple color and engravings in Troobian, the Stone itself was a work of art. A hand grabbed her ankle. She looked down and made a face of disgust when she saw the Mage was still alive. Barely alive, she corrected herself. After what the fight she had given him, it was incredible how resistant he was. It was her fault for not making sure he was really dead. "I though I had killed you already."

"The Stone is dangerous, girl. Do not use it!" He warned in a raspy voice. She gave Larkin a small smile in return. "Hush, old man."

"Please listen to me…" His statement was interrupted by a loud gurgle that emerged from his throat. It was starting to sound like the beginning of the end for him. "That Stone will bring you nothing but misery."

"How can absolute power bring you misery? With this" Pandora pointed to the stone. "I will be unstoppable."

"Just remember that without light, there can be no darkness." Another nasty gurgle took over his voice. Dark spots invaded his sight. He felt himself floating away. Gripping his robes tightly, he began convulsing. With no one there top help him, he died minutes later.

Staring down at the body, she began wondering about the meaning of his cryptic last words.

_Without light, there can be no darkness._

With each stroke of her fingers, the darkness rose a little. She closed her eyes, fully taking in the effect. Light-headed, she exited the bookstore. Light-headed or not, this had to be the best she had ever felt in years. As the wind blew threw her hair, she could feel every single strand being lifted. The warm air hitting her face at every step. Her nostrils filled with the aroma coming from the nearby donut and hot dog stands, normally, she would have never even stopped to smell the air. Tonight was different.

Every one of her senses was on edge. She didn't want to get down from her cloud. She made up her mind to give the Rangers a little something by launching a surprise attack on the city square. The anxiety was killing her. With no purpose or use for Krybots, she summoned them anyway. Wrecking stuff seemed like a fun activity for the night. "Don't stop until I say so."

Almost immediately, the wrecking process began. Krybots terrorized the late-night wanderers while Pandora simply stood on the hood of a red convertible, overlooking the commotion. The citizens' reactions were priceless. Nothing made her happier than terrorizing innocent civilians. She looked down at her nails absent-mindedly. The real fun was about to begin.

The Rangers, sans the Shadow Ranger, made an appearance. She jumped down from the car and shot them a menacing look. They split up into teams of two, Yellow and Red to take the Krybots out, Blue and Green to take Pandora out. She would definitely enjoy herself tonight.

The guy in blue was first to approach. When the attack on her began, she blocked every move. Her body was not only on edge, she was moving faster than ever. It was as if the world was moving much slower than her. Every move made by him, she knew when and where it would strike. Consequently, she knew how to stop them. She raised her knee and hit him right in rib cage. To finish him off, she fired a blast from her hands. When she laid eyes upon her handiwork, she was more than proud. The Stone was working quite well. Her blasts had not increased in size, but also in magnitude. The Ranger had been taken out by only one. She could only imagine if it had been double the size. He'd probably be dead, what a nice thought.

"You're next, Green Ranger."

He opened fire, sensing the same fate as his fallen comrade. Even though the blasts hit her, she appeared to be unhurt, walking with the same confidence and strut she always did. To deflect the blasts, she turned into a diamond. She closed her eyes and cackled as they hit her. They had not even made a single scratch on the pristine surface. It was impossible. She had never been this strong before.

Pandora's shiny armor vanished. This could only mean one thing. She was ready for the kill. The Green Ranger hid behind a dumpster in one of the alleys, also trying to get a good shot. Her eyes darted around the street. She began whistling in the creepiest way imaginable. This reminded him of the scary movies he was such a fan of. Usually, the killers or monsters taunted their victims in the movies. This was exactly his case. He could tell she was close. The clicking of her heels was not far from where he was hiding. Closer and closer they got. In a panicked frenzy, he tossed the dumpster at her and ran as fast as he could. It wasn't of any help though. He fell after one of her blasts hit him in the back. Grunting and panting, both fallen Rangers reunited.

Two down, two to go, though Pandora. She applauded the remaining two Rangers. "I may have underestimated you. You took my lackeys out without any help from your beloved Shadow Ranger."

"What do you want?" There was only a simple answer to his question. "Fun."

With her head cocked and a smirk on her face, she unleashed two of the most powerful blasts the two of them had ever been hit with. For a moment during her confused daze, Z could swear that the girl's eyes had turned all black. Before she could confirm her suspicions, she passed out. Jack put her head in his lap, gently stroking the girl's hair. His fingertips grazed upon something wet and thick. The irony smell of blood was undeniably in the air.

Pandora turned around when the two other called her out. Sky was taken aback by her aspect. Her eyes were nothing but black. She looked possessed. It was scary to see her like that. She shifted her gaze to the stars, observing them in silence.

Suddenly, she turned to look at them, a big grin on her face. "We'll meet again."

She turned away and vanished into thin air; her rose petals were not only black this time. They had scorch marks on them. The Rangers feared something darker was coming their way.

**The Terror**

Hooked by the power the Stone had given her, she's vowed to keep it out of anyone else's hands. After wrapping it on a chunk of soft velvet to prevent it from scratching, she stored it inside her drawer. The power was solely hers. In her mind, the Stone had chosen her specifically. Mora's voice in the room snapped her out of her thoughts, "Where have you been?"

"I've been out. Working." She hissed. "Something you apparently don't know the meaning of."

"I work plenty. That's all I do for Grumm. Draw, draw and draw!" Pandora turned to face her. "Oh, boo-hoo."

"You are aware you're bleeding, right?" She wasn't. She looked down at her white, now blood-stained white, shirt. She had no clue as to how it'd happened. The pain never came. She then remembered when the Green Ranger had opened fire on her while unprotected. The Mage had tried to warn her. But a little blood wasn't going to stop her. She was hooked and it was a high she wasn't sure she would ever get down from.

**SPD**

Z had been lucky according to Doctor Felix. She had only experienced a minor concussion and was going to be perfectly well after getting some rest. Cruger, on the other hand, hadn't been as lucky. He was fighting for his life as they spoke. Drakel had taken most of his life energy, leaving him unable to even open his eyes. Kat was more than worried about his friend. For the past hour, she's tried to keep herself busy with musings such as reading through old files and checking surveillance cameras. Hell, she had even gone through Sydney's old rack of magazines she had found while searching for Z's pajamas. Not even the cutest of shoes were enough.

With the alarm blaring once again, she went to her post. To her surprise, Jack, Bridge and Sky were all standing there. "There's been a murder in the square's library."

Secretly, they all wondered the same thing as they left. Would that night ever be over?

The silence inside the library was deadly. Upon entering, the trio felt their hairs stand on end. Before separating to investigate the areas, Bridge couldn't help but feel someone's eyes on his back. He could now relate to a zebra being hunted by a lioness in the wilderness. He shuddered and let it go. It was crucial he concentrated on the task at hand. Setting his eyes on an open silver box above a desk on the far end of the room, he walked up to it and began inspecting it. He couldn't off the bad vibes. He took off his glove and watched the visions of Pandora taking out an object similar to a crystal out of it unfold before him. "She was here."

Jack groaned, "She's becoming stronger. One thing we have to get very clear is that Pandora isn't our friend anymore. Syd is gone."

Overhearing, Sky replied angrily, "That doesn't mean Syd's not there anymore. We will save her."

"Maybe, Sky." He put his arm on his shoulder, reconsidering his choice of words. "The way she fought against us tonight, it was like…"

A book dropped from one of the shelves. Removing the blasters from their holsters, they pointed them towards the source of the noise. An alien, identical to the murder victim, stepped out of the shelf with his hands thrown to the air in surrender. "Who are you?"

"I…I….I'm Baskin." He stuttered nervously. "That's my twin brother, Larkin."

"This is a crime scene, you can't be in here." Sky stated.

"I mean no harm." Bridge scanned his aura. His colors indicated sincerity. He signaled the others to lower their weapons. Having lowered them, he went on, "I'm sorry for the disturbance. I'm looking for a valuable object my brother left for me. You must understand that if this artifact falls into the wrong hands, well… you get the idea."

"Was it hidden inside that silver box?" He pointed to the table. Baskin, having realized that it had been taken, nodded grimly. He shook his head in desperation.

"What exactly was the stolen artifact?" He shook his head. It was far too dangerous for them to know more. Back in Troobia, the tribe had given him the sole duty to protect the Stone in case his brother passed away. Involving humans in his business was far too dangerous. Exposing them to dangers beyond their wildest imagination would forever remain in his mind. He wasn't ready to live with the consequences of being reckless.

"I don't know. My brother never told me what it was. He just told me to guard it." He lied. While his other two teammates were satisfied, Bridge wasn't. He prompted to get more out of him. Prompting aliens with question until they got annoyed and spilled the beans was his specialty.

"So you've never opened the box before?"

"No." He lied again, more unconvincingly than before.

"Are you sure he never told you what it was used for? Surely you wouldn't have gone through all this trouble for an heirloom." He prompted, hoping Baskin would get fed up soon.

"It is not an heirloom." He replied. "So you do know what it is?"

He nodded grimly. "I know what was stolen. You won't be interested; it's a long story and I'm sure you're busy…"

"We've got plenty of time." Jack assured him.

"One of the three Troobian Stones of Darkness was stolen. My brother, a Mage, was designated with the task of protecting it from evil hands when our home planet was destroyed by that miserable bag of bones." The last three words came out in an exasperated voice. "Whoever took it is a fool."

"While it is a bringer of power, it also breeds eternal misery on whoever abuses its power." Each of them put the pieces of the puzzle together. Pandora's heightened abilities, the murder, the Stone…

"I know it's late to mention it, but that Stone must not come into his possession." The Ranger sighed. Too late, they thought. At any minute, Pandora could just walk in and hand it to him on a silver platter.

Sky assured him they would try to get it back as soon as possible. The key word in the sentence was try. None of them had any idea of how they would defeat Pandora 2.0 with her heightened abilities. This was going to be hard. But since when had saving and protecting the Earth become an easy task?

With two Rangers down, they were already losing. It wasn't a nice sensation. After Baskin left, the three traveled in silence, thinking of new strategies. They were not going to sleep tonight. Finishing the task at hand for Z and the Commander was more important than leisure time. They sat round the table, discussing plans.

"We know Drakel absorbs energy." Bridge pointed out and read something that got his attention. "I know why he wasn't affected by our attacks now."

"Enlighten us, professor Bridge." Jack propped his feet up on the table and put his hands behind his head.

"His skin absorbed them as energy."

"Great, what do you suppose we do now? Use physical violence as our only weapon?" The outcome of that battle would be catastrophical. Sky could already picture the trio in the medical wing.

"How about we override him? Give him too much energy at the same time, I mean. So much he couldn't handle." They had to admit that their extravagant teammate was onto something. The only question was how to do that without getting hurt.

"We won't be able to do it without getting killed in the process." Bridge blew up an image of Pandora on the screen. "I'm not talking about our energy. I'm talking about hers."

"So you mean, when she fires her blasts, I…"

Bridge replied simply. "Yes, that is exactly what I'm suggesting."

The following morning, the Rangers reported for duty at an abandoned warehouse. Inside, they say their new favorite villains, Drakel and Pandora. She noticed only two Rangers, Red and Green, were left standing after the brutal battle they had endured last night.

She pouted. "Was I too strong for your friends?"

"You gave us all a beating yesterday. We won't let you have another chance like that." Red assured her. Her sense of smeller was a lot keener since the Stone had found her. There was something on the air. It rang an alarm inside her head, telling her it simply didn't belong. The citrusy and soapy smell had no place in a place like an old warehouse. She nodded for Drakel to take care of the other two while she searched the warehouse. As the heels of her boots clicked against the gravel close to him, Sky hid behind a tall stack of silver crates, awaiting the enemy.

Her nose guided her directly to the silver crates on the far end of the room. Hoping to find something, she blasted a hole through them. Lucky for him, he'd moved or he would have now had a hole though his head. Having not foud anything was unsatisfying. It still reeked of the same aroma.

In order to get a better shot, he switched his location stealthily, knowing she would follow his scent like a dog. She was closer. Her breathing was audible in his ears. He peeked through the side and smiled when she came his way.

She smiled and scoffed. "You can run, but you can't hide!"

Pandora formed a powerful blast in her hands and sent it down his way. Perfect, he told himself. Just a few seconds before it could reach his body, Sky created a powerful force field, capable of surviving anything thrown at it. When the blast hit it, he prayed that it wouldn't just simply be absorbed, but also deflected. It took a few seconds, but when the blast finally got deflected, he smiled. That morning's target practice had paid off.

"Now!" Sky screamed at his teammates. Pandora ducked upon seeing the blast's direction. If it had been intended for her, they'd failed at making their plan work. Her grin faded as soon as she saw what the Rangers were holding in their hands. A containment card with Drakel inside.

She swallowed a huge lump in her throat and began running towards an abandoned lot. Her head was aching like never before, a strange ringing overcame her thoughts and senses. She got on her knees and groaned in pain. Her stomach hurt like never before. It felt like she had just ingested acid. Moments later, her hands began to shake. Light-headed, she rose to her feet and stared at the sky. Black spots clouded her vision and suddenly, she felt herself being lifted off the ground. Moments later, she was numb, deaf and blind.

The Rangers couldn't believe what they were witnessing; a cylindrical tower of her energy had been shot into the sky. Inside the tower was a floating girl they had once come to know as Sydney. She was simply floating there like an angelical creature. Just as they were beginning to wonder the tower's effect on the city, the sky suddenly became pitch black. A violent gust of wind replaced the calm air.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"I don't know, Bridge. You've got any more brilliant ideas?" Sky snapped.

A familiar voice interrupted their bickering. "I know what to do. But I will need the other two Stones."

"Baskin!"

"One of you must go and retrieve them. This will only get worse as time ticks away." The mysterious Mage explained.

"I'll go." Sky's hand shot up in the air.

After Baskin handed him a map with the Stones' locations. Jack approached him and put something in his hands. He opened his palm to reveal the keys to Jack's Patrol Cycle. "Take it."

Sky grinned. This was even better than that time his mom had gotten him that video game for his 11th birthday. "Thank you. I'll take care of it."

"I know you will."

Having put his helmet on, Sky rode off on his quest for the Stones.


	32. Expendable

_Author's Note: I posted a new poll on my profile. If you'd be so kind as to take a few seconds to answer it, I'd be very grateful. Please review!_

**Chapter 32- Expendable **

Sky was more than furious, not only with Grumm but with himself too. He had allowed his best friend to get stuck inside an impenetrable vortex of darkness. Thankfully, not everything was lost. Baskin, the Troobian Mage whose brother Larkin had been murdered by Pandora, had sent Sky to search for the remaining Mages and Stones to break the darkness. The map he'd been given by Baskin was proving to be more of a puzzle than a resource. He'd been hitting dead for the last couple of hours. This was going to take longer than expected. Time was not on his side unfortunately.

The blue sky and the sun were now covered by a star-less, pitch black veil of darkness. The winds were gaining speed and magnitude with each passing second, enough to make tornadoes form out of nowhere. Although Kat had declared in a public statement that the sudden black-out had been nothing more than a simple eclipse, he had a hunch that citizens weren't buying it. He couldn't blame them. After all, there was a bright beam of purple light that had shot up into the sky. If people weren't alarmed before, they certainly were now.

He needed to be quick. Things, as though they weren't bad enough, would get uglier soon. He laid eyes on the map again. A dark spot on the amp indicated the place he should go to. According to it, it wasn't far away. If it was wrong, that would mean he's just wasted a valuable two hours driving all the way to Silver Hills, his hometown. As much as he loved coming back, he also hated it. After his father's death, everything in town was a constant reminder of him. It wasn't long after that he decided to become a Ranger like his dad. Not any Ranger, the Red Ranger. He wanted nothing but to make his dad proud. The embarrassment over getting the Blue Morpher at the beginning was unbearable. In order to control his rage, he had to leave the room every time Jack was in it or simply avoid his fellow teammate. He'd gotten over it eventually. He couldn't point out when that was exactly, but he guessed it had somehow involved Syd's reappearance in her life. She just had a way of making him feel complete, something he hadn't experienced since that dreadful day.

Getting back to the map, he removed his helmet after parking in front of a small occult shop. He remembered it now. He'd only been inside the shop once. He'd gone inside because of a bet. Back when he was in middle school, his friends challenged him to go inside and bring back an item as proof. They'd give him 50 bucks. He hesitated at first. The shop's creepy exterior always had a way of making Sky's blood run cold. Whether it was the big skull with horns or the pentagram stickers on the glass windows, there was just something odd about it. 50 bucks was plenty of money for a boy his age and he wanted a new video game. So he opened the door and went inside.

The interior gave off the same vibe as the exterior. He quickly picked out a random and cheap item from a woven basket. It was a keychain with a scary-looking skull dangling from a silver chain. He walked to the cash register and handed it to a teen girl dressed as a goth. He paid for it with a 5-dollar bill and quickly ran upon getting it in his hands. His gang paid him. He still had the skull. It was now attached to his motorcycle's key.

Of all the places the Stone could have been kept away from evil's hands, the Mage had hidden it here. Why not a cave or in the bottom of the ocean? Certainly a much more mysterious and undisclosed location than a shop of the occult. The creepy façade was working on keeping away civilians. Grumm wouldn't be intimidated, he was evil incarnate after all.

He went in, expecting it to have the same torture dungeon aura it had given off the first time. This didn't seem to be the case now. Everything was organized and the creepy decorations, sans a few statues, had been kept to a minimum. He looked at the dot again. The Stone was here.

"Hello? Is there someone here?" Sky called out.

An alien, similar to Baskin but with orange skin, came out of a beaded curtain. He gave Sky a friendly smile. "The name's Dragan. Is there anything you're looking for?"

"Actually there is." He explained that Baskin had sent him looking for the Stone. "I need your help."

Dragan shook his head. "I can't. I'm sorry. That Stone has to be kept locked away. Using it would be catastrophic."

"It's not for me." He pleaded. "My friend, she used it and now she's trapped. I would be asking if it wasn't absolutely necessary."

Dragan hesitated. "Larkin got killed by Grumm?"

His voice was a mix of rage and sadness. Sky couldn't tell him that the person he was trying to save was the murderer but he didn't want to lie. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He sighed and replied, "By one of his allies."

The alien stared at him for a long time before leaving through the beaded curtain. Sky sighed and crossed his arms. He decided to stick around for a little while, just in case Dragan changed his mind. He examined some aromatic candles on a wooden rack. He picked up a black candle. A smell of burnt flowers wafted to his nose. Immediately, he put it back. No more smelling black candles that reminded him of Pandora. The candles needed labels, leaving him to guess what they smelled like was simply cruel. He took a beige candle. It smelled of vanilla, something Syd would have liked for sure. When she got back… that is if they got her back, he would buy them as a gift.

"Girls like roses and vanilla." Dragan's voice startled him. When he turned back to look at the Troobian, he held a silver box.

"How did you…?"

"Guys like you don't simply stop to smell candles." He interrupted with a smile. "If I were you, I would have been gone a long time ago."

"You're different, young man." Dragan stated once he was by Sky's side. "Maybe once this is over, I'll give you a discount to buy some of these for that special girl."

"I would appreciate that." Once outside, he pointed to his motorcycle. "You'll have to ride on the back…"

And just like that, the alien was gone again. Dragan was definitely a fan of disappearing acts. He reappeared, dragging a vintage motorcycle out of a garage.

"You can follow me to Brighton Beach. Old Tryton is probably fishing." He chuckled and got on top of his bike. Sky replied with a nod and a small smile. His day was already looking up. He couldn't wait to get her back. Surely with the Mages' help, he'd be hugging Sydney, his Sydney, and holding her for the longest time in his strong arms.

Both hit the road and began the journey to Brighton which wasn't far away from Silver Hills. He'd been to a few parties there before committing all his time to SPD. It wasn't a very populated beach. It was the perfect spot for an afternoon out with his teammates. He would take them once this ordeal was over.

Brighton Beach's sand looked dull compared to most days, when it was as if it were crushed diamonds sparkling in the sunlight. His new friend was the first on the sand. Dragan called out Tryton's name a few times before finally getting his attention. The other alien was too invested in catching fish with an old rod. Sky laid eyes on Tryton's basket. So far, he'd caught none. It didn't surprise him, the weather was getting worse each passing second.

"Dragan, old friend." His head resembled a shark, including the teeth of one. His mouth was lined with two sets of extra-sharp teeth. "Tryton, this is my friend Sky."

After both shook hands, Dragan briefly explained what had had happened. To say the least, the shark alien was shocked. He stuffed the rod inside an unused ice cooler and put his helmet on. "We may be old as dirt, but we still know how to ride our babies, son."

Sky grinned and said nothing else. This had to be the nicest Troobians he'd ever met. He'd been wrong. He would never generalize an alien race over the action of one of their members.

"Why are you so willing to help me?" He asked.

"We want to clear our name." Sky raised his eyebrow. "We haven't done anything wrong. We just want SPD to know that not every Troobian out there in the galaxy is like Grumm."

"We are a peaceful race. That sack of bones is the exception." Dragan stated.

"We want nothing but to see him locked away." Tryton paused while getting his keys out from his pocket. "Anyone who's an enemy of Grumm is a friend of us."

"I want him put away, too. More than anything." Sky muttered sadly. He didn't give him his reasons. He was going to keep private about Syd for now. He feared that if he told the truth, the pair of Mages would split for good.

It took a couple of more hours to finally reach the vortex. Sky wasn't surprised to see the Commander back on his feet. The Syrian never took a day off. Knowing him, he'd probably escaped from Kat's custody at the medical wing one way or another. Before he left, Kat was bent on keeping Cruger there for further observations. Lucky for Doctor Manx, she would no longer have to look after the Commander, the effect of Drakel's attacks reverted the moment he was encased in the containment card. Sky had no time to celebrate, though. Grumm had sent out more than a few Krybots while he's been gone.

The gusts of wind were getting stronger. The sky seemed to become darker, if as if it was possible. He spotted Baskin in front of the vortex, kneeling and chanting in a language he didn't recognize. "I brought them."

The Mage stood up. "The Stone is still inside the vortex. In order to break it, I need it back."

"No one can go in! How are we supposed to get it?" The Blue Ranger snapped. He took a deep breath and apologized.

"There may be a chance for you to do so. We can open it for a short time." Dragan suggested after opening the silver box he ad been carrying around. He took hold of a small bundle of velvet and threw the container aside. "We will give you a short-time window to get the Stone back."

"I'll do it."

"You understand this small gap we are going to create may only be enough for you to get the Stone out. You and your friend may not make it." Tryton warned, grabbing him by the wrist. Sky was bent on getting her back.

"That's just a risk I'll have to take." The Mages admired his courage. No other being they'd known had ever gone this far out of their way to recover someone lost to them. Most usually backed out. Sky wasn't most people.

The Mages placed both Stones in front of them and created a triangle around them. Sky morphed for protection. He's heard the warnings and wasn't about to go inside a vortex to get the skin ripped off his body. He was passionate, not stupid. The trio began chanting loudly, a bright light emerged from the rocks. A bright beam of light shot out of their hands and hit the vortex, making it disappear temporarily.

Pandora's body hit the floor with a loud thud. The Blue Ranger rushed over to pick her fallen body. Her eyes were completely black, an eerie smile plastered on her face. Even like this, Pandora was still tough and stubborn. The girl was clutching the Stone of Darkness tightly in her right hand. Each time he tried to take it away, the tighter her hold got. It probably wouldn't work, but he had to try something. He took hold of her other hand. "Syd, if you're in there, let go."

She was numb both inside and out. Nothing registered on her mind. Words to her were just simple murmurs; they didn't make sense to her. Nothing did anymore. As much as holding it hurt her, she wouldn't simply let that great amount of power get away. Somehow, something inside her compelled her right hand to begin shaking. Pandora groaned.

"Come on, Syd!" He encouraged, taking hold of her other hand. The vortex was beginning to rise again. It wouldn't be long before it was up again. Slowly, one by one, her fingers were removed from it by some force completely unknown to her. Sky took hold of it and threw it out just in time. The vortex was closing in on them. On a hunch, he unmorphed and held the young villain close to him. Raising his arm, he raised a force field big enough to protect them.

The wall kept him from seeing outside. He didn't care. Holding her again was heaven. She seemed to be in some kind of trance. Her body had gone limp on him and her eyes were still as black as an olive. Still, he held the girl tightly. The girl he had fallen in love with may not have been present but the fact that she had let go of the Stone, gave him hope that Sydney was still inside buried deep inside the disguise of a villain. Holding the force field was a different story.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on keeping his only method of protection from the darkness. It was getting harder. Every time it began to fade, he raised a new force field. He felt something trickling down his nose. He wiped it with his sleeve, a small red stain appeared. Blood could only mean one thing. He was pushing himself beyond his limits. In all his years, he'd never raised more than three force fields per battle. He felt like he'd created more than a thousand. His body was beginning to feel the side effects. With trembling hands and feet, he held her closer, groaning loudly.

Through the thick darkness, he heard one of the Troobians scream "Run for cover!"

The darkness was slowly dissipating into a mix of heavy winds and black fire that engulfed his force field completely. He shut his eyes.

"Cadet Tate!" Commander Cruger shouted in the distance. Sky wasn't sure he was even alive until he opened his eyes. The darkness was gone. The black veil on the sky had been lifted to reveal an orange and pink sunset. He laid the girl's body on the floor and stroked her hair gently. She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes slowly, the smile still on her face. A thick black liquid slithered down her hear, creating a small puddle in the ground. It dissolved into nothing.

She awoke with a loud gasp, observing her hands. "Sky, I don't have a lot of time…"

She shut her eyes again. Upon opening them, Sky knew this wasn't Syd. Pandora had taken over. In a typical Pnaodra move, she shoved the boy aside with a small energy blast before standing up. She cleaned her clothes and crossed her arms. "You always have a way of screwing up my plans, don't you?"

"Screwing up your plans? You seemed to have that all taken care of." Jack retorted, pointing with his Deltamax Striker.

"The vortex?" Pandora scoffed. "That was all part of the plan, Rangers. And Mages."

It was time for her to leave, the Stone was lost. Better for them to have it than her. There was nothing left for her to do. Before she magically disappeared, Broodwing swooped down and launched an attack on the trio of Mages with an army of 5 Orange Heads. Ballsy move for a coward, Pandora thought. There was more to this attack than simple rage. He wanted something, she just knew.

"Long time no see."

"I can say the same for you, princess." He sneered. "Grumm is not happy with you."

"I figured as much." Pandora replied smugly. "At least I'm doing something; I don't see you or anyone else on that ship doing anything worthwhile. While that sack of bones is talking to himself in that throne room of his, we could be causing mayhem in the city."

The alien replied angrily, "You don't understand anything."

If she hadn't turned around in that second, her forehead would have a big round hole made by a deflected blast. She dodged it with ease. "You're supposed to attack them, not me!"

The Krybot went back to work immediately. She looked on as the battle raged. If she hadn't been busy chatting with Broodwing, she'd taken them out all by herself, just to prove how ruthless she was. Her attention turned back to the alien. "Oh, please do enlighten me."

"Grumm's not the only one you should be afraid of." Said the alien. "There are higher powers at work here. Grumm is just a pawn."

"What do you mean just a pawn?" He began walking away. Lucky for her, the Rangers were engaged in their own business. She came to a halt when he turned back and let out a hideous laugh. "He's just a part of the game."

His cryptic answers weren't going to do her any good. She needed them to be concrete. "What are you talking about?"

"This isn't just his war." As much as she despised Broodwing, she was willing to hear him out. Differentiating the truth from the lies was the real challenge. From what she could remember, this alien was anything but reliable and loyal. After all, he _had _hired Benaag to kill her. Bad blood still ran between them.

"You think he actually has the brains to operate a mission of this magnitude?" He questioned smugly and scoffed. Clever or not, her master was one of the most talented on the whole galaxy. Feared by most and afraid of none, Broodwing's words seemed like a bunch of lies to make her turn against Grumm. As loyal as she was, she still shook her head.

"Grumm's second on the power hierarchy." He looked over her body. "That leaves you and Morgana at the bottom. If you think you're not expendable, think again."

She groaned and blasted the alien's chest angrily. She'd no idea what she was mad about. Mostly at Broodwing's cryptic statements. _Pawn in the game… second on the hierarchy… expendable. _The last statement made her reconsider her position and the reason behind her following the Troobian. She was driven by rage and her own darkness, but everything else was left unclear. Doubting herself and Grumm was something she seldom did. That last statement made her shiver. She wondered whether she was a pawn or as Broodwing and Benaag had kindly put it, an expendable piece of valuable trash Grumm had picked up and molded.

She finally stated coldly, "Leave before I kill you."

"Don't go around making promises you can't keep." He taunted eerily before vanishing.

"I never do." She muttered to herself in a low voice. She put on a brave face and plastered on an evil smirk. Disappearing into thin air, Pandora left behind her usual trace of charred rose petals.

**The Terror**

"You were irresponsible, greedy, childish…" Emperor Grumm's red eyes lighted up. "And above all, stupid!"

His words stung. At least he was talking now. For the last thirty minutes, Pandora had been standing and observing her master. His choice of words had been harsh, if not cruel. She hated admitting to herself that she's actually done something wrong, but he couldn't be more right. She had acted out on pure greed without his consent. If the Rangers hadn't intervened, she'd still be inside the vortex… or worse, dead.

She simply nodded in reply.

"At this point, I won't even threaten you." He said the disappointment evident in his voice. "If you ever throw another stunt like that again, I'll kill you!"

The tip of his blade was at her stomach, threatening to cut her delicate milky flesh. Pandora assented grimly, her suspicions confirmed. She made a quick bow and scurried out of the room.

In her mind, there was no doubt left of Broodwing's lies, or truths in her case. _Expendable._

_If you think you aren't expendable, think again. _His words burned into her mind.


	33. Doomsday

**Chapter 33- Doomsday**

Grumm sat on his chair, contemplating recent events. If they had proven something, it was that even his most trusted allies were unpredictable. Pandora's careless and reckless behavior over the last few days led him to believe that maybe she had a secret agenda of her own. He laughed it off. It couldn't be; the girl was practically his slave. While Black Crystal brought out the evil in her, it also brought out other traits, such as her rebelliousness and loud-mouthing. He sighed. _I should have used those robot parts Broodwing suggested, _he thought to himself.

That brought him to the other alien. He couldn't rely on him either. Broodwing had his own business and secret agenda, making him a liability. While he provided Grumm with expensive technology, he also gave him the biggest headaches. He made business with almost any alien that offered him money. The Emperor despised when he did so. It wasn't long ago that Broodwing had taken a bow and pledged loyalty to the Troobian Empire. All lies. He wasn't thrilled about his side business either. Those other aliens couldn't be relied on either. Lowlifes and scum from all over the galaxy came to Broodwing, desperate to either sell him something or buy a weapon for their own purposes. Some of them were even SPD officers. It had been Broodwing's fault to bring the once deadly Dream Catcher above The Terror. When Grumm found out who she really was, she got killed in the most brutal manner. He slid those thought aside, afraid of what His Magnificence could have heard in his thoughts. If He found out…

No, He wouldn't find out. He had made it his personal mission to keep quiet about the incident.

A female presence in the room interrupted his thoughts. "You requested me?"

"Yes, Mora." He sneered. Inspecting her from head to toe, he grabbed his staff and pointed it at her, a bright light emerging from its tip. "What are you…"

Her cries were muffled by a huge cocoon that was now tightly wrapped around her body. When the cocoon fell to pieces at her feet, she groaned and shrieked, "No! I'm old again!"

"Quiet!" He glared at a crying Morgana. "You've failed me more times than I can count. It's time for you to do something to call yourself worthy of belonging to the Troobian Empire."

She stayed silent and clutched Cyndy Sunshine tightly in her arms. Feeling uneasy, she took a few steps back and almost tripped over the train of her own dress. Her words were cut short by Grumm.

"I don't think I made myself clear." He stated. "You do something or you'll go back to where I found you."

Morgana swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, rushing out of the room as quickly as she could. She was going to need help.

Her eyes shifted to Pandora's door.

**SPD Academy**

The Rangers sat around a table in the Rec Room in silence. Bridge ate some toast, Z flipped through a magazine and Jack read a comic book. Sky hadn't shown his face yet. He hadn't even been at training in the mud course. Cruger would sure punish him later. They couldn't blame him, though. After rescuing Pandora from the darkness, he was wiped out. His heroic stunt had almost cost him his life. The Rangers had to help him walk all the way to the Cruiser. _He's probably just tired, _Bridge told himself. He was worried about his best friend.

Seconds later, he stepped inside, impeccably dressed in his uniform. The other three let out an audible sigh. "You had us worried."

"I'm fine, Jack. I just needed some rest; making all those force fields exhausted me more than I thought." He admitted as he sat down next to Jack. He took a bite out of a protein bar Z had gotten for him. He was amazed by how quickly the dynamics had changed between them. A few months ago, they could barely see each other without wanting to punch each other. They were anything but teammates or friends. Now, they were a solid team and the best of friends.

Seeing as Z and Bridge sat next to each other, his constant loud munching had to get to the girl at some point. She closed her magazine and stared at him. "As much as I enjoy hearing you chew on your food, I would rather have you do it someplace else."

"You enjoy it?" He asked genuine surprise in his voice. "I thought it was annoying."

"No, it isn't. It is a lovely sound." Z murmured sarcastically. Jack and Sky shared a look and snickered silently.

"You want some? It's buttery." He wiggled his fingers. She regarded this as one of his strange quirks, such as standing on his head to get ideas. She kindly declined the offer and put her eyes on the magazine, not really paying attention to any of the pictures.

The alarm went off.

The Cadets made their way to the Command Center. Kat turned away from the computers and simply said, "She's back and she's got reinforcements this time."

"Let me guess, Orange Heads," Said Jack.

"Worse." She stated grimly and pointed to the computer. "Morgana is back as well. And she's not alone."

"She brought friends. Lovely." Z crossed her arms. By simply looking at the aliens in the screen, she could tell they wouldn't be easy to take down. Jack was the first to morph. The others followed suit.

Kat nodded to the Commander, assuring him that she would take care of everything around the base. Agreeing with her, he also morphed.

Upon seeing the Rangers, the smug smile on Morgana's face became a Cheshire grin. Her plan wouldn't fail, not this time. "Welcome to the party, Rangers."

Two aliens appeared by her side. They were polar opposites of each other. One was rather bulky and with its mane, bizarrely resembled a lion. His counterpart, leaner, seemed to be some type of warrior. He carried a thunder-shaped sword. Morgana donned her battle suit as well.

Setting eyes on her target, the villain put on her helmet and sprinted towards the Yellow Ranger. Slashing her with one of her blades, the Ranger fell easily. The older girl scoffed. So easy, she thought to herself. Both the aliens began attacking the other Rangers.

Getting up slowly, the Yellow Ranger took her blaster and fired a direct shot at Morgana. It barely did any damage. Morgana's suit had been reinforced with Troobian magic and protective spells, making it less prone to damage. She soon fell prey to one of the villain's deadly energy waves. Z gripped the blaster tightly in her hands and fired once again, completely missing the target. The villain hit her once again and knocked the weapon out of her hands.

When she looked up, Morgana had the striker in her hands. It was pointing at her chest. Being unable to do anything, Z simply closed her eyes and bit her lower lip to muffle her scream. Thankfully, her Ranger suit had suppressed most of the blast. When she opened her brown eyes again, she discovered her suit and Morgana were gone. She had Z's Deltamax Striker.

Thinking the Yellow Ranger had been dealt with, the raven-haired girl walked into an abandoned warehouse nearby. A cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows. "I assume phase one is completed."

"As if you didn't already know," Morgana replied with a smirk on her face.

Upon hearing another one of their enemies screaming, the cloaked one chuckled lightly. "Let phase two commence."

"Are you sure this will work?" The girl asked. "This is my last chance or Grumm will kill me."

The cloaked one turned away from Morgana. "He won't kill you. That fool needs all the help he can get." The figure hissed. After handing her a key, it began walking away. "Protecting the device is your main priority."

Those were its last words before disappearing.

She called upon Broodwing's latest creation, a massive robot kindly referred to as Destructor. Equipped with highly-powerful blasters, the Delta Squad Megazord would be taken down easily, otherwise leaving the city free of heroes to protect them. She assured herself once SPD fell they would take over, first NewTech, and then the entire world. Today was the day SPD would fall.

Before jumping inside Destructor, Morgana disposed of the Ranger's weapon. She had never piloted a robot but from what she'd been told, it was easy as riding a car. If only she knew how to do the latter. After placing the keys in the ignition, she slowly learned her way through the controls. She placed her hands one the ones that controlled movement and maneuvered them skillfully.

Back on the ground, B-Squad and Cruger had fallen. Weak and unmorphed, they were no threat to the two aliens. Clutching his chest tightly, Sky raised a force field to protect him and the others from upcoming blasts. Ever since he's been exposed to the darkness, he'd noticed a significant increase of power. He just hoped this wouldn't make him end up inside a vortex.

Bridge regained consciousness. He had hit his head hard against a wall while unmorphed. He spotted a Zord moving through the streets. On closer inspection, he noticed it wasn't one of theirs. Taking his morpher out, Bridge scanned the robot. "Kat, did you release a big red Zord by any chance?"

"_No," _she replied over the intercom. Walking over to a computer, she ran a scan on it. The pilot was none other than Morgana.

"_I'm sending out the Delta Runners." _

"What about Delta Runner 5? We need it to form the Megazord." Sky said sadly. Kat knew what he meant. She sighed and simply replied, _"I'll pilot it from here. I've installed a device that allows me to do so."_

Sky nodded and slowly got up with the rest of the team. They may have been defeated once, but it wasn't going to happen again. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Jack, Bridge, Z and the Commander replied.

"SPD Emergency!" They exclaimed in unison.

They got inside their respective Delta Runners' cabins and maneuvered their way through the streets until they got to the giant red war machine. They knew who was behind its creation. Forming the Megazord, the Rangers accessed a shared cabin. "Identify yourself."

The robot blasted the Blue Ranger's vehicle. "Does that count as identification?"

Ranger Blue groaned and fired back, leaving only small dents in its armor. Z recognized the voice immediately and began a scan. After correctly identifying the pilot, Yellow said, "Morgana, surrender or we'll have to do this the violent way."

"You read my mind." Morgana snickered. Raising left blaster, she hit Delta Runner 4. They braised themselves for the hit that came along with it. The shaking ceased quickly. Raising both blasters, Destructor began hitting the Megazord mercilessly. Blast after blast, the Rangers felt themselves getting weaker. They had already been beaten once today. It seemed like defeat number two wasn't too far ahead for them. Kat, back at the SPD base, commanded Delta Runner 5 to take out the police blaster. With each blast fired, she lost more control over it. They had a way of messing up the equipment she had installed.

Cruger wasn't having an easy time down on the ground either. He had been battling Krybots for the last hour, trying to get at least get an inch close to Morgana's alien friends. The quantity was seemingly without end. The endless army closed in on him. He looked back at the rest of his team. He started to wonder about A-Squad. Maybe if they weren't missing in action, they would have already stopped Grumm.

He sighed. Doggie refrained himself from ever thinking like that again. This was his team now. The team he had become Shadow Ranger for. Gripping the Shadow Saber tightly, he slashed his way through. Raising his morpher, he called out the aliens.

"Haven't you ever heard the expression 'two is better than one?' ," Said the bulkier one. All through the judgment, both laughed. The Commander replied smugly, "If I were you, I wouldn't be laughing. You were both found guilty on serious charges."

He summoned RIC. After not showing, he paged Kat. "I need RIC, where is he?"

"_He's still being repaired." _

Cruger let out a frustrated sigh. His morpher was knocked out of his hands before he could react. He looked back to the pair. The leaner one was holding up its spear, pointing it straight at his chest. When the blast came, Cruger was ready. He put his Sabre before him, making the blast bounce off directly into its attacker. The alien growled.

Cruger may have gotten close to defeating them, but he couldn't let his hopes get high. The Rangers' battle against Morgana wasn't going as smoothly as he predicted it would be.

Ranger Red blasted the robot a few times, making nothing but a dent in its shiny surface. They wouldn't hold on much longer. The inner cabin was already beginning to collapse and the exteriors had already withstood plenty of damage. They noticed the energy levels on the Zord were the lowest they had ever been. Green checked out the damage level. 60%. He grimaced. This wasn't good. With each blast, the number increased.

"_Abort the mission." It wasn't a warning, it was an order. "I repeat, abort the mission."_

"We can't." The Blue Ranger stated. "We'll take it down."

"_It's too risky, Cadet Tate. Abort the mission!" She ordered once again._

He wasn't going to give up. Charging the blaster at its fullest, Sky aimed directly at the chest. Target locked. He blasted it. It left a small hole on the opposing robot. "We are down ten percent more." The Yellow Ranger pointed to their energy levels.

Kat groaned. The Blue Ranger would get some type of punishment when he got back. He had defied a direct order. The worst part was, his teammates could have gotten hurt out there, not to mention the Delta Runners could be destroyed. Something on one of the security cameras caught her eye.

One of the aerial cameras that took a picture every five minutes had captured the image of a dark hooded figure standing on the roof of one the many buildings the red robot had its back to. The image had also captured something else. She zoomed and noticed a needle similar to the one that Benaag had planted behind Destructor. "This is a direct order! Abort the mission!"

"_All right." Said the Yellow Ranger. _

Delta Runner 4 was the fist one to disengage itself from the Megazord and return safely to the garage. At least someone had the decency of listening to her. She removed Delta Runner 5 as well. Armless, the Megazord wasn't much of a threat. Red and Green's Runners soon arrived in a less than optimal condition. "Cadet Tate! If your Delta Runner isn't here this minute, I'll give you window-cleaning duty for a month."

"_I still have 60 seconds, don't I?" He replied smugly. _

He wasn't even sure himself of how much damage he could make. Hovering just before the robot, Sky pressed down on the controls of his blasters and began firing inaccurately, leaving it all to luck for a total of 57 seconds. _3, 2, 1…_ he ejected himself and sent it back to the base.

Kat sighed and hissed. _You're dead, Cadet Tate. _

Landing on the ground safely, he looked at the others. And even though he couldn't see their expressions, he simply knew that they weren't happy with him. His ego always had a way of getting him into trouble. Now that he looked back on that last minute aboard the Delta Runner, he realized he's made a stupid mistake. Not only could his vehicle have been destroyed by the monstrous robot, he could have gotten hurt as well. He had jeopardized himself for nothing. Destructor was still up and running, even with a hole the size of a boulder right in the chest.

Just as they would catch a break, an energy wave made them hit the ground. A little laugh was all it took for them to recognize the source. "I thought you would be harder to beat."

There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. Z, unmorphed and exhausted, didn't stand a chance against the villain. Grabbing hold of her morpher, she held it up. "Morgana, you are being tried on the counts of various intergalactic crimes such as murder, conspiracy…"

"How nice of you." The villain interrupted, sending an energy wave her way. Z hit the floor on her back and groaned as she tried to reach for her morpher. A heel pressed over her wrist frustrated any further attempts. Morgana snickered down at her. The joy was short-lived.

Someone fired a balst at her from behind. She groaned and turned to see the Green Ranger holding his Deltamax Striker. "Get away from her!"

Z sighed and grinned with tears in her eyes. Bridge had saved her. She wiped the tears away with her free hand. Morgana got three direct shots total. He had meant the attack as a provocation. He would not let harm come to any of his teammates, especially Z. He wanted the villain to come after him, he could take the blast.

"How brave of you." She smirked and walked up to him. Jack stopped her from getting one step closer by sending a blast her way. Sky smiled and grabbed his morpher when he heard Kat's voice. _"Head to the rooftop of the Sunflower Corporation. There might be trouble."_

"Might be?" He asked.

"_Don't fight me, Cadet Tate." She ordered._

"I'll check it out." He stood up and quickly got inside the building and into an elevator. As expected, the roof wasn't desolate. Two Krybots guarded the door. Taking them out with ease, he opened the door and glared at the cloaked figure.

"Show yourself!"

The figure turned around and lowered its hood. It was none other than Pandora. Only this time, she was different. Her facial features had become sharper. She looked meaner and more evil.

"What is with you and your friends always messing with my plans?" She crossed her arms and flipped her blonde hair back. She turned and giggled lightly. "None of it will matter soon, though. Your attempts at stopping me will have been in vain."

"What are you talking about?" Ripping the cloak off her body, she lunged at him with great speed. As much as Sky hated hurting his own friend, it was necessary at the moment. He was torn but ended up blasting her. She fell for a few seconds but got up again, determination written all over her face. He began noticing that each time she fought; she moved closer the ledge of the building. He wondered if Pandora had been experiencing suicidal thought as of lately. Blasting her one more time, she fell again. She groaned and threw a dark energy ball at her enemy, making Sky unmorph and land next to her on the floor.

She looked down at her shirt and put a hand over her wound. Standing up would be too painful, she'd have to crawl. She put her arms on the floor and began making her way to the other side of the rooftop, leaving a small red trace behind. She looked back and saw the Ranger slowly coming after her. He was hurt as well and couldn't do much in his condition. Snickering, she crawled in long strides, as much as it hurt. The faster she got there the better.

Outstretching one of her arms, she opened a console and somehow found herself being pulled back. The Blue Ranger was pulling on her ankle with great strength. _Stretch it out a bit more. So close. _

She wiggled her foot slightly, loosening his hold slightly. She stretched her arm and smiled when she felt the button under her fingers. She pressed it and smiled when she felt herself being pulled back. This would be a great spot to watch the destruction of SPD. She decided not to shoot the Ranger to death just so he could observe too.

A bright blast shot out of the needle and into the sky. Soon, a thick dome-shaped force field surrounded the city. Pandora's evil cackle filled his ears. She had a mischievous smile on her face. "What are you planning?"

"I think you already know the answer." She replied as she stood up, still clutching her stomach. She unleashed a pair of Orange heads. Before she said anything, she put her heel over his hand and grabbed his morpher. "You won't be needing this."

Pandora snapped her fingers. Almost on cue, the soldiers grabbed him and cuffed his hands. "I suggest you don't try using your powers. I had those cuffs especially made to give you a small shock every time you try to do so."

"It's a lovely gift." He muttered sarcastically.

She put a finger to her chin and smiled, "I thought Rangers didn't do sarcasm."

"You'd be surprised."

She gestured with her hand to take him away. Opening the morpher, Pandora smirked when she heard the voice of Doctor Manx on the speaker. _"Sky?"_

"Wrong." Relishing every minute of inflicting fear on others, she went on, "Doctor Manx, you already who this is. As you can see, the city is now being covered by a force field. That means no one gets in or out."

"That last part is, of course, your choice."

"_What do you mean?"_

"I'm proposing a trade, Dr. Manx." She put the morpher closer to her mouth. "I have the Blue Ranger."

_The doctor gasped but tried to keep calm. "Who do you want?"_

"It's not what I want." She answered. "It's who I want. Bring me Dru Harrington."

She shut the morpher and turned to look at the city. Soon, it would fall to her feet. With no one to protect it, it would be hers in no time.

"Today is the day SPD falls."


	34. Hostage

_Author's Note: I'm so sorry for not posting in these last 6 months. I've been very busy and I have been enjoying every bit of spare time I have. So here's the new chapter. Thank you for reviewing. Happy New Year to everyone!_

**Chapter 34- Hostage **

Pandora ordered the robotic henchmen to put the Blue Ranger in a chair and tie him up. She'd clearly warned them that if he escaped, she would have their heads and impale them on stakes so sharp; their circuitry would be beyond repair. That threat alone was enough for them to do as ordered. Both Orange Heads dragged the sleeping boy to a chair made out of wood and tied rope around his body, leaving the power suppressing cuffs on.

Ever since Pandora knocked him out on the rooftop of the Sunflower Corporation, he had not woken up. Maybe she was stronger than she thought. A blow to the face was all it took. She glanced at her hand, her cold blue eyes analyzing every crease, follicle and nail. Not even a scratch. She flexed her fingers a few times to observe their mobility. Nothing seemed broken either. Her bones seemed to be getting stronger as well.

She couldn't say the same for her face though. An ugly scar made by the Ranger's weapon crossed her cheek. Wiping a dirty piece of opaque glass, Pandora assessed the damage. The scar was merely superficial. The weapon hadn't cut too deep to cause permanent damage. She gave her prisoner a dirty look and resumed seeing herself. In a few days time, her face would be back to normal, she predicted.

As she stood there gazing at her, she noticed her features seemed to be sharper. They gave the illusion of having been chiseled by a plastic surgeon. Never had her jaw line been as prominent as it was that day. Her normally round, baby cheeks had sunk a little. This took away the air of innocence and sweetness she had once.

Somehow, the light made everything seemed clearer. Above The Terror, the rooms were so dark you could barely make out anything. The light filtered through a broken glass window, illuminating the lone figure inside.

Pandora cocked her head and wiped some dried blood off her lip. _He made me bleed. _Her blood had even acquired a darker tint than normal. No human blood was as dark as hers. "Black as your soul and your heart." She whispered to herself and snickered.

"_Not true." _A voice whispered behind her. Pandora turned around and scoured the abandoned place, searching for the voice. It had definitely been female. Sky was still unconscious and the warehouse was abandoned. _"Behind you." _ There it was again, tempting her to turn around. The girl turned around and found herself in front of the mirror-like glass again.

"This _has _to be my imagination." She watched as her lips moved on the mirror and remained close when she didn't speak.

"_It's not." _Her reflection's lips had just _moved. _Pandora put her hand over her mouth. The girl inside the mirror giggled softly and stared right back at the girl outside. "Stop this!" The girl commanded, gritting her teeth in anger. _"No!" _The girl in the mirror replied in a muffled manner.

Pandora gazed at her hand once again, her vision slipped in and out of focus. She blinked her eyes, hoping it was only dizziness from using her powers earlier. She raised her hand upwards, covering the light. To no avail, it was. Her vision must have been playing games with her because this was no normal dizziness. If it was dizziness at all, Pandora thought.

"Who are you?" Pandora asked the mirror. If anyone saw that, they would think she had gone crazy.

"_You know who I am," _Replied the voice.

Pandora gritted her teeth in frustration and slammed her hands against the wall, leaving a small dent behind. "Tell me!" The girl on the other side of the mirror laughed again. Whatever the joke was, Pandora wasn't getting it. Ignoring her pleas, the girl said nothing; she only stared at the outside. "Tell me!" She repeated. Her voice seemed to have escalated a few decibels.

Sky blinked his eyes, gasping as the bright sunlight filtered through his eyes. He felt like the light had just burnt his retinas. To avoid further contact discomfort, he turned his head to the side. He began to wonder if they'd placed him there as a strategy or it was mere coincidence that he was standing directly in front of the light. His ears picked the sounds of a human voice coming from a few feet away. The source was hidden from view but he recognized it to perfection. _Pandora. _He gritted his teeth but waited for the right moment to intervene. He could at least try prying into her plans.

"I don't what you want, but I'm in control." Pandora said, apparently to herself because no one replied and she just went on speaking. "Stop this!" He thought that the girl was either going crazy or there was a silent alien in the other room with her. He shifted his head to the right to get a better view. Unfortunately, the wall blocked his view.

Hoping his strategy would not fail him, he tried to lift himself up with the chair to get a better view of the conversation between Pandora and the silent creature. Unfortunately for him, the chair's wood was weakened and withered. Upon coming in contact with the factory's concrete floor, the chair's leg broke under him and caused him to hit the ground sideways.

Pain shot through his body. It was like his nerves were punishing him for such a stupid action. Curiosity killed the cat, his mother had told him.

A loud echo emerged from the other room. Despite her loud conversation with herself, she did manage to hear that. The place had pretty good acoustics, making the sound of his fall amplified.

Before leaving, she turned to the mirror and smirked. "Nice try."

"_Just ask yourself who you are and where you've come from." _It taunted her again. "I know who I am. My name is Pandora, otherwise known as the girl who will shut you up for good." With a hard punch, she shattered the dirty glass. She'd silenced the annoying little voice forever. Now nothing would hold her back.

Pandora turned around and walked towards her prisoner, thinking he'd attempted to escape. She observed him with a smug smile on her face. She leaned down to meet his eyes. What Sky saw truly frightened him.

The girl before him was not Sydney. This was a product of Grumm and Broodwing's sick, twisted imagination. The girl he once loved was buried so deep inside, Pandora was beginning to seem like an entirely different person now. And maybe she was. Those cold, steely blue eyes, the opaque blonde hair and the chiseled features were not Syd's. The Troobians had been exceptionally thorough in taking away every bit of Syd out of their creation.

She pulled him up by his collar, giving him a dirty look. "No one dares to escape from me."

"I fell."

"Yeah, like I was born yesterday," scoffed the villain as she gave him a light slap on the face. She still did not know how to control her own strength. What was supposed to be a light hit left him with a red hand-shaped mark and a bleeding lip. Her handiwork pleased her. "Want to try lying again?"

"I'm not lying!" Sky yelled at her, licking the blood off his lip. He grimaced at the irony smell. "I was trying to see who you were talking to."

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to eavesdrop?" Pandora walked around him and observed his fallen body. The discomfort was pretty obvious in his face. She snickered, apparently delighted at his pain. "I thought humans had something called manners. Apparently, you don't."

Sky stayed quiet. He was not going to give her the satisfaction. With a small giggle, she replied, "Oh, did the cat eat your tongue?"

He scowled. "I don't answer to you."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. With a loud cackle, she crouched down on her knees and grabbed him by the collar, pushing his face towards him. "Guess what? You do. Right now, I'm the head bitch in charge and you… are nothing." The girl gave him a light push and traced the wound on his lips. Her skin was rough and pale. Long gone were Syd's rosy cheeks and baby-smooth skin. Sky turned his face. She grabbed it roughly, forcing him to look at her. "You better learn your place before I do something I might or might not regret."

"You can't kill me, remember?" Sky knew where she was going with her last sentence. "I'm your insurance to get what you want. If you kill me, you won't be getting your boyfriend back."

"Who said anything about killing you?" Pandora retorted. "You see, death is way too easy and not painful enough. I have other ways of getting what I want." With a simple push of a button, Sky discovered exactly what she was referring to when she said pain. A strong electric shock ran through his body, making him grit his teeth to stop himself from screaming.

That would make him obey. "Now _that _is what I call a shock! You weren't expecting that to happen, were you?"

"I was waiting for something worse." The Blue Ranger either had a death wish or was stupid. She hoped that after that little surprise, he would keep his mouth shut. She then thought about the other side of things for a moment. This rebelliousness would bring her a massive amount of joy.

Pandora pressed the button again, observing his reaction to the shock. Once it had subsided, Sky let out a small ragged breath and closed his eyes. Another shock was sent through him before he could even settle down from the past one. This one burned through his body, ripping through every single one of his muscles. It was like being having a scalpel cut through his body during surgery, only without anesthesia. It had seemed the potency had increased dramatically from the first time.

"Let this be a warning to you of things to come if you don't learn to do as I say." Pandora leaned down, giving him a menacing glare with her cold blue eyes. Sky trembled and twitched but ended up nodding to prevent any further pain. "Good, now we're making progress."

He panted heavily. The pain quickly subsided into soreness. Pandora untied him. Since he was cuffed, Sky couldn't lift himself off the floor. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up to stand almost as if he were a rag doll. There was more to these changes than he thought. She was a whole lot stronger now.

Pointing to a crate, Pandora ordered him to sit down and stay quiet. She took out his Delta Morpher and cleared her throat. It was time for him to roll his eyes. She was about to make a bargain with his team to save his life and she cared about how she _sounded_. He was flabbergasted.

"_Sky, are you alright? We've been trying to establish contact with you for the last 4 hours." _Pandora recognized the voice of the yellow Ranger. Her voice sounded tired and worried. Morgana had really done a number on her out on the battlefield.

"Oh, Sky is with me alright."

Z flinched upon hearing Pandora's voice. _"What have you done with him?"_

"Nothing." Pandora said with a small giggle. "Yet."

"_Put him on." _Z commanded. The other girl clicked her tongue several times and walked over to her prisoner. "That's not the way things work around here, unfortunately. I'm the one who's in charge here; therefore, I give the orders. Not you."

"_Fine, tell us what you want and we'll give it to you. Just… don't hurt him." _Sky couldn't help but feel touched by his team's willingness to sacrifice everything for him. The blonde villain pouted at him and batted her eyelashes, putting the morpher to his mouth and before he could speak, she covered his mouth with her hand and giggled. "Sky says he's touched."

Jack took the Morpher out of Z's hands, annoyed by Pandora's games. _"Put him on or I'll…" _What could they possibly threaten her with? She had the perfect bargaining chip with her and they still didn't understand the rules of the game.

"Or you'll what? Arrest me, kill me, come for me…" Pandora taunted, a loud laugh escaping her red lips. "I told you, I run things around here. You do not threaten me. You do what I tell you to do. Otherwise, bad things happen."

Jack wasn't even going to ask what she was capable of doing because it would just leave him without sleep for a week, probably more. This was clearly not their friend anymore. Her friend had turned into a vessel for the darkness and it had completely taken her over.

A loud scream that emerged from Sky's mouth snapped out of his thoughts. Pandora turned back to the Blue Ranger, who was glaring at her yet again. He knew it wouldn't get him anywhere. "That's what happens when I don't get what I want. People get hurt. Now imagine if I don't get what I really want. Take his scream and multiply times a hundred. Not counting those with weak hearts, of course."

Jack nervously drummed his fingers on the console of the Control Center. He looked at the others for their input. There was no doubt, even without speaking, that they all agreed on the same thing. They would get Sky back, no matter the cost. _"Fine, we'll do what you ask."_

"Now that's more like it. See, Sky, your friends _do _care about you." Pandora teased, loud enough for them to hear her. Everyone else listened carefully to what she said next: "I want Dru Harrington. And by him, I don't mean the containment card, if you get the hang of what I'm saying."

Bridge's normal lightheaded temper was about to go out the window. He didn't like being insulted. Before he could lose it, Z grabbed him and made him take deep yoga breaths to calm himself down. She told him Pandora wasn't worth his rage. He did as instructed and sat back down on the stool, feeling slightly lightheaded.

Jack understood his companion's emotional distress. It was only normal for him to feel that way. After all, Sky had been had been with Bridge since day one at the Academy. Even though it wasn't that evident, they were best friends and he wouldn't have expected anything less from Bridge. Or from anyone else.

But he wouldn't lose it, not with Pandora taunting them constantly. He kept his voice calm as he spoke. _"Fine."_

"Oh, and I also want one of these little devices I'm carrying in my hand."

The Rangers instantly turned to Doctor Manx, who was shaking head in denial. She wasn't just going to hand over one of her most precious creations to her. If Grumm got a hold of it… she didn't even want to think of the consequences. The Rangers stared at her sternly. She then remembered that one of her cadets' lives was in danger. Sky was more important than any of her babies, as she deemed them.

It was a bitter pill to swallow that got harder to dissolve as it went further down. "I'll do it."

Without protest, their leader gave the villain the answer. "Fantastic. We have ourselves a deal. Now remember, if you break it, he pays."

"_Where should we meet you?" _She pondered for a moment. The city was completely deserted since the Krybots were roaming the streets, scouring for anyone who was out of their homes. Any place seemed safe. No risks would be taken during the operation. She'd have to be very delicate and take precautions.

The trade would have to be made in a place far from SPD. A place where she could control the surroundings without anyone butting in. Downtown NewTech seemed like the perfect choice. Grumm had a few allies there that she could possibly use to her advantage if they betrayed her. The other aliens were so scared, they wouldn't dare raise their voices, let alone fight her.

"Downtown NewTech. I give you until the sun sets to bring me what I ask. Because I'm so nice I'll throw in an extra 10 minutes." Pandora glanced at Sky and cocked her head, smiling at him. "With a price, of course. For every minute that you're late, I'll give him a shock."

She gave Sky another small shock to prove a point. To prove what she was willing to do to get what she wanted. "And if you don't arrive by those 10 minutes, I'll take your friend and let Grumm torture him. And then, I'll bring him back and kill him while you watch."

"_We won't be late." _Pandora cut the communication and attached the Morpher to her belt. She patted it, pointing out that it was the only safe place to keep it on. She glanced back at the Blue Ranger and pouted. "Let me guess, that last one really hurt."

"Yes." He replied angrily, trying to sit up straight. Feeling a little pity for the guy, Pandora helped him sit straight with his back to the wall. The girl stood in front of him, just observing him for a few minutes. It was unnerving to have someone watching him, especially someone like her. He could only imagine what she was thinking since her eyes and cold expression didn't give anything anyway. Sky just hoped she didn't want to shock him again. "What do you want now?"

Pandora clicked her tongue again and smirked. "You're making this way too easy for me. Speak only when spoken to, is that so hard?"

"No." Sky answered between gritted teeth. She smiled and clapped her hands, mocking him. "Good. I'll save that shock I didn't give you for later." He responded with a groan and an eye roll. Pandora was turning out to be more than a pain in the ass than he originally thought she would be. He would play along for now, but he didn't know for how long he could keep behaving like that without reaching his boiling point.

"Let's just hope that your friends are on time." Pandora's lips curled into a small smile, as if making plans for him. His friends would not fail him, not over a morpher or a containment card with his former best friend, or over anything else for that matter.

He knew they had his back from the moment he heard the determination in Z's and Jack's voices to give up anything for him. That was what he hadn't understood in the beginning. His team was much more than a team. They were his friends, a group of people who would go to hell and back just to free him. If that wasn't dedication or friendship, he didn't know what it was.

"They will be here. I know they will." Sky finally said, not a hint of fear in his voice.

"We'll just have to wait and see, then." With a small giggle, Pandora walked away.

_**SPD Academy**_

Jack, Z and Bridge sat around the computer console in the Command Center, devising a plan to bring back Sky without actually giving Pandora anything. They all considered the risks that the operation involved. Sky and possibly more people could not only turn out injured but dead. As much as they dreaded Pandora's coming into possession of SPD technology, they wouldn't risk their friend.

Z sighed in frustration and covered her face with her hands. This had had to be the hardest decision she'd ever taken. It surpassed any other sacrifice all of them had ever made to get something they wanted. They had to remember this was not only their teammate, but their friend. They were willing to do anything for him.

Bridge noticed the raven haired girl's demeanor and put a hand over her shoulder, rubbing it to help her calm down. If Z hadn't stopped him a few minutes ago, he would have gone crazy and probably hit someone in the room. There an air of tension around the room. The three Rangers hadn't spoken in half an hour. Kat was beginning to get worried.

"I'll go get the morpher." Kat announced in an attempt to break the silence.

The trio watched her walk away and pulled up a blueprint of Downtown NewTech to the center screen. Z took out a pen and began pointing out the points of entrance and escape Pandora would probably use.

Knowing her psychology, she would probably have a heavy number of Orange Heads patrolling the area. That meant they could not make any sudden brash moves while they were in the area or she would find out from the Orange Heads and other shady alien citizens. Pandora wouldn't hesitate to hurt Sky. This was not Syd, they had to remember that.

"We are just going to give it to her, then?" Jack looked up to meet their eyes. Z shrugged. "It's not like we have much of a choice." She added in a pessimistic tone, looking back at Bridge. She blinked her eyes and opened her mouth when she saw what Bridge was doing. He was doing a handstand against the wall.

"I'm doing this so new ideas flow into my head." Bridge smiled innocently.

"Sometimes, I wish I could be you so I wouldn't worry so much." Z crossed her arms. Jack came to stand besides her. They looked back at themselves and began laughing. Never had they met such a strange boy as Bridge and they've met a lot of strange people in the past.

"Alright, enough fooling around, let's get back to work." Jack pointed to the blueprints with a smile.

"You sounded just like Sky a few seconds ago." Bridge said after sitting down on his stool.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I did not."

"You miss him?" Z pouted and gave him puppy dog eyes. "It hasn't even been a day and you miss your brother from another mother already? That's so sweet."

"Knock it off, Z." He threatened with a smug smile as the girl laughed. She wouldn't let him win, not without admitting defeat.

The girl clad in yellow rolled her eyes. "Admit it! You miss him."

"Fine, I admit that I miss the guy and his over the top bossiness." Jack gave her a glare and made a shushing sound to indicate that the Commander had just entered the room. He cleared his throat and looked over at the blueprints once again. "So, as I was saying, this is the best way in and out of the area…"

"Really, Cadet Landors?" The Commander questioned, revising the spot he had just pointed to. "The highest rooftop in all Downtown where Pandora will most likely place Orange Heads to keep track of you as well as to attack you." It was a test. Jack knew the Commander well enough to see where he was getting at. The teasing had made him distracted. He couldn't allow himself to do it again or his morpher would once again get taken from him.

"No, Sir." Jack zoomed in on another area, looking back at his two teammates who were grinning like Cheshire cats who had just found milk to drink. "Piggy's restaurant seems like an easy area to get to and get out of. I suggest one of us shows up to meet her and make the thread while the others deactivate the force field."

Z and Bridge mentally slapped themselves. All this kidnapping business had made them forget that the whole city was in peril as well. How could they have forgotten that a huge dome of energy had the city trapped inside?

"She'll suspect something is up if only one of us shows up…" Z began forming a plan in her head. "Jack, you and Bridge should make the trade. I'll deactivate the force field."

"It's too risky, Z. The place will be loaded with Krybots for all we know."

"Exactly." She paused and began playing the video from the earlier battle. "They won't see me coming. I'm supposed to be hurt beyond repair. Pandora knows I'm out of the game. Morgana took my weapon as proof."

Jack raised a brow. "How exactly are you going to fend off all those Krybots without a weapon?"

"I'm not planning to use my ranger suit." Z smiled. Both guys instantly held out their respective morphers for her to choose. She pushed them back softly and shook her head. With a simple pat on her packet, they understood her brilliant plan.

"That way they'll believe…"

"Exactly." Z pointed out after locating the source from Sky's last communication.

The Sunflower Corporation building was the tallest building in the city and was coincidentally located in the very center of it. Seemed like a fitting place for the origin of a force field.

"We'll rendezvous at Piggy's before sunset, which happens to be at 6:58." The trio synchronized their watches and set alarms for the given hour. "That gives us an hour and half to do what we need to do."

"We will all make the trade together. We don't her to hurt Sky. You heard the screams." Z pointed out before walking to the doors and saluting the Commander on her way out.

Bridge and Jack looked at each other. "Ready?" "Ready!" They opened their morphers in unison, pressing the right button to access their ranger suits.

"SPD Emergency!"


	35. Free

**Chapter 35- Free**

Z's dark eyes roamed across the dark, dimly lit hallways of the Academy's Detention Bay. The hall was a stark contrast to the others which were usually illuminated by the bright sunlight at day that filtered through the windows and by artificial yet soft lights at night, as well as by the light of the moon. The lighting gave the place a very grim vibe. Despite the room being at normal temperature, Z felt her skin crawl under her thick uniform.

Silently, Z wondered if every cadet felt like that, intimidated and cold, when they first entered the Detention Area. She couldn't believe that in the short time she'd spent at the Academy no one had taken the consideration to give her a tour through this area. Perhaps she would have felt more prepared, knowing what to expect, rather than how she felt. Her feet moved slowly, they felt as if two ton blocks were strapped to them. Her legs were like jelly, shaking at every step. Z had to put her hands inside her pockets so Kat wouldn't notice their shaking.

The hallway even seemed larger than the others. As if she were in a dream, the room seemed inescapable and endless. The same grim pattern repeating over and over again, no way out. No windows, no doors… no way out. Z's hands began shaking at the thought and bit her lower lip.

There was a palpable need for someone to break the dead silence that had befallen both Kat and Z. The cadet tried to get her mind off the matter with happier thoughts. Her lips curled into a small smile when the image of Bridge and Jack propped up against the wall doing headstands was evoked in her mind. Bridge certainly did have a way to ease up tension in a room, no matter how unorthodox or strange it was. Z sighed, content. Her hands had stopped shaking and her feet no longer had that heavy sensation.

Kat turned to the girl, observing her newly acquired calm demeanor. All cadets were frightened the first time they entered the Detention Bay. The light that each one of the cadets emanated seemed to fade gradually, with each passing step their faces seemed to become a deadly shade of white. She remembered the first time Bridge and Sky had been brought in to conduct an interrogation. Both cadets were being cocky, especially Sky, flaunting their fearlessness to the Commander. When they stepped inside, both of them had fallen silent and their faces, pale as a chalk, had fallen.

Perhaps it was the lighting and the ambiance in the room, or maybe the fact that through the doors at the end, they would come face to face with some of the most dangerous and evil criminals in the galaxy. Probably that's what scared the daylights out of all of them.

That was what had frightened her the first time. Kat recalled her first time in the Detention Bay. Kruger and the first A Squad had just captured one of the deadliest criminals in the Galaxy, Bankhor. He'd been found guilty of treason and war crimes, primarily, along with an impressive list of devious crimes committed all over the galaxy. Bankhor had been one of the Troobian army's main generals, responsible for the destruction of her home planet and the death of many loved ones. Knowing her personal connection to Bankhor, the Commander was adamant to let her participate or engage in any conversation with him. Instead, he let her watch the interrogation from outside, where he knew Kat would be safe, both physically and mentally.

The interrogation had been brutally long, and equally harsh. From all the interrogation she'd watched, Kat had noticed the suspects cracked easily. With a determined face, Kat summed up the courage to ask the Commander why the Detention Bay was so grim.

"Efficiency, Doctor Manx," replied Cruger. "You see this place and your first immediate thought is that you want to run to the hills and never come back in. The need to leave this room is what drives the cadets to be good interrogators. That's why subjects break easily and sing like birds after an average of 45 minutes."

Kat would have never thought fear would be one of the weapons of choice of the Commander. He always seemed like the type of alien to never commit any type of wrongs for a greater good. Maybe everyone did have a dark side, as her mother had once stated.

The Doctor's mind snapped back to reality, punching in a code on a pad to enter the containment card storage. She looked back at Z once again. "Ready?"

"Yeah, I guess." Z answered, trying to keep her voice in check.

"You have the most daunting task right now. While Jack and Bridge are out there deactivating needles, you have to transport Dru Harrington to Piggy's restaurant without calling attention to yourself." Kat explained, unsure if Z was up to the task after taking such a brutal beating from Morgana out in the battlefield. She didn't doubt Z's skills whatsoever but the damage she'd taken was extensive and using her suit was out of question.

"I know. I can do this," said Z, voice full of determination. "You know I can."

"Yeah, you can." Z was slightly taken aback by Kat's words. Up until that moment, she never knew that Kat held such trust in her abilities and skills. "Come on. This is the easy part. They are regenerating Dru as we speak."

"Regenerating?"

Kat chuckled at the amazed expression on her face. "Let me rephrase. They are freeing him from the card as we speak."

"Oh." Z blinked her eyes for a moment and let out a small laugh. "I'll try to remember that from now on."

The Doctor looked down at her clock and then back at the regeneration station, glancing at the machine that indicated the progress of the regenerator: only 10 percent done. Kat nervously glanced down at her clock, they didn't have a lot of time until the sun set. 50 minutes wasn't a lot of time, and with each second that went by, their hope slipped away slowly.

In average, most subjects took about 20 minutes to be fully regenerated, according to the calculations she'd done. Only a couple of minutes had passed since the process had begun taking place but it seemed like it had been forever since she'd given the order. Taking away the 20 minutes the regeneration lasted, Z had 30 minutes to deliver Dru to Pandora or else…

Kat silently cursed herself for not ordering it before, perhaps if she'd made the decision sooner rather than 10 minutes ago, Sky would now be making his way towards the base in the company of his team, with his friends and not with Pandora. Never had she been as nervous as she was that day. Her foot tapped the floor below them repeatedly, her thumb constantly stroked the glass on her wristwatch, her eyes glanced at the clock every other minute.

Despite the silence from the Doctor, Z could feel the anxiety that emanated from Kat. The cadet put a hand over Kat's shoulder, trying to ease her feelings. "Don't blame yourself. We all lost that battle out there."

"If I had told them to free him earlier instead of making scenarios in my mind…" Z scoffed and shook her head, interrupting her. "You did everyone would have done. Were I in your shoes, I would have hesitated as well."

Before answering Kat glanced at the progress monitor, relief washing over her as the number escalated to 40%. Perhaps, they would buy themselves more time. Z's words had come as a blessing; she always found ways to comfort everyone with her wise words. "Thank you Z."

"No problem." Z sat down, her feet beginning to feel heavy again. Knowing that Sky's fate rested solely on her shoulders didn't ease her anxiety one bit. She put her head in her hands, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Her hands were beginning to shake again, the hairs on the back of her neck rising at the thought of Pandora hurting Sky because of her being late. She would never be able to forgive herself if something that horrible happened to him due to her being late.

No doubt Pandora would pull out every trick to stop her from getting to her goal in time. This new creation of Grumm and Broodwing was far deadlier than Rogue, better known as Pandora 1.0, or any other alien they'd ever faced. The worst part about facing her in battle was the thought of losing Syd or even hurting her. Z had to remember that the girl that held Sky was not their friend, not Syd. She was by no means that heart-shaped girl with the golden curls the team had desperately battled to save from Grumm's clutches. Pandora was but a puppet, cruelly designed by the Troobian Emperor and his most trusted lackey.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a male figure came to stand before her. Z's eyes traced the Nebula Galaxy's version of the SPD uniform. Her eyes went from being as wide as a frightened doe's to angry slits, not allowing him to see the fear that hovered over her. "Dru."

Z was fairly surprised by the cool, icy tone her voice had acquired. She was even more taken aback to see Dru back in his humanoid form, once Sky's friend, and not the deadly creature that had attacked them. Still, she forced herself to recall they were one and not two separate beings. Grabbing him by the cuffs that held his wrists together, she began making her way towards the door.

"Try anything with Z and I'll have those wrist cuffs and the collar around your neck will give you a little surprise." Kat exposed a small remote with a dial on it. Z couldn't help but smile at the Doctor's philosophy. _An eye for an eye. Very clever, Kat. _

Dru smirked, not at the least frightened by the control on the Doctor's hand. No device could possibly harm him as much as Sky's final words to him. "What if I do try something?" With a small laugh, Kat raised the dial to the first bar and pressed a button. A strong shock invaded his neck and gradually lowered to every part of his body. His knees felt like collapsing, his head pounding during the aftermath. "Point taken."

"I can go higher if you'd like." Dru responded with a loud groan at which the women couldn't help but smirk. "I didn't think so. Now, Z will escort you to Pandora…"

Dru blinked his eye, confused by the name. "Pandora?"

"Rogue 2.0. I bet you and her will get along together nicely. She's one nasty piece of work." Z spat angrily as the thought of the villain torturing her friend came up again in her mind. Kat cleared her throat to snap her out of her angry daze. "As I was saying, she will escort you to Pandora. Once you're with her, Z will deliver the morpher and she will have to give you Sky."

"If she doesn't?"

"She will. As unpredictable as she may be, we're giving her what she asked for." Kat clarified, her hand placed on Z's shoulder. "Besides, Pandora doesn't exactly have a purpose for Sky once we give her Dru."

"She does. Entertainment, for one." Z retorted, recalling Sky's screams as Pandora electrified him. Kat nodded grimly, the same deadly silence fell over the room again. "We'll just have to trust that she'll give us Sky."

And with that said, the cadet moved along the hallway while ushering the alien in front of her.

**Piggy's Restaurant**

Upon looking at the dump Piggy called restaurant, Pandora was already disappointed. That was by far the worst place she'd seen on NewTech. When Grumm and the rest of the Troobian army took over, the first order she'd give would be to have the place destroyed. It not only looked horrible, the place smelled bad. It was as if someone had thrown a permanent stink bomb. The smells were so pungent; it was hard to distinguish what it was that made it smell so terrible.

Pandora grimaced, her face scrunching up, the bile rising in her throat. She signaled the Krybots to place and secure Sky to a chair.

Looking down at her watch, Pandora hoped the Rangers would stay true to their word that they wouldn't be late. If the Rangers or Grumm didn't kill her, the smell of the place certainly would.

"This place reeks!" Pandora couldn't help but say it. "It's most as bad as Grumm's feet on a hot summer day."

Sky couldn't help but smile at that last statement. He silently wondered how she'd react. Perhaps with a joke or two, Pandora would desist from frying him. "What are you smiling about, Blue Ranger? If your friends don't arrive in time, you'll be the one washing Grumm's feet on hot summer days. I find nothing funny about that."

"They'll arrive in time." Pandora scoffed and crossed her arms, her lips curling into an amused smirk. "You put a lot of trust in them. If I recall correctly, you didn't exactly trust them until I captured you. Is that what it takes for you to trust them?"

Sky reflected on her words. She was right, as much as it hurt him to admit it. Before being captured, he wouldn't have trusted his friends with his dog and certainly not his life. Did a like-risking event, such as his capture, have to be the reason he changed his mind?

He was certain that somewhere along the way, and not the moment he was captured, he had to have trusted his friends.

"Pondering on what I said?" Her mocking voice interrupted him. "You know, when you think about things other people say they usually turn out to be true."

"I have always trusted them." Sky's voice came and then went out like a light. With no spark in it, his statement could not have been true by any means. Pandora didn't respond or say anything. She simply turned to face him, an 'I-told-you-so' written all over her.

Sky simply looked down, not being able to hide his embarrassment. Pandora had been right after all. He felt guilty for even thinking that way about his teammates. Not his teammates, he realized, his friends. Bridge had been with him for almost three years and not even everything they'd gone through together had been enough for Sky. He know realized his mistake and silently cursed himself. "They will come, you know that."

Pandora turned to face him again, a sweet laugh emerging from her mouth. "I hope they do." Sky gave her a questioning look. "Don't flatter yourself, pretty boy. As much as I'd like to torture you, I really desire to keep my sense of smell intact. This place and I… we are not getting along, to put it kindly."

"I thought you were used to it. You used to clean Grumm's feet, after all." The Blue Ranger smiled smugly, a proud look on his face. Pandora didn't say a word, her mind deep in thought. Dark memories appeared in her mind from when she was no more than a lowly slave to Grumm, someone to clean his feet and to get pushed around by everyone. Certainly, she was far from being that little scared girl. An equal was what everyone considered her now.

"Yes, I did." There was no emotion in her voice now, not even a hint of a smile. Sky couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt surfacing deep inside. He wanted to tease her to get back, not insult her. He was certainly going to get a shock now that Pandora was offended by his comments. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't say it. You are only saying that so I won't hurt you, not because you mean it." Sky had never been more frightened in his life as he was at that moment. Her eyes showed nothing but rage and an anger that was buried deep inside her being; still he was glad some passion came from the girl. It reminded him of Syd. Maybe there was still some part of his friend underneath all those layers of evil.

Sky sighed and cocked his head, staring intently at Pandora's dull blue eyes. "You're right," said the Blue Ranger.

"Again."

"Yes, again." He couldn't help but agree with her, his voice low and filled with shame.

Pandora, adamant to speak with him again, turned to the Orange Heads. After giving them direct orders to patrol the perimeter and stop any upcoming threat, she finally pulled out a chair from a nearby table. The metallic legs dragged across the hard pavement made a loud and unbearable screeching sound. Sky gritted his teeth. Pandora sat in front of him, a smirk on her face. She was clearly amused by his reaction.

"Do you pray?" The girl raised her shapely legs and put them up on the table besides her, her evil gaze set upon his face. "If you don't, you better do. As we speak, 20 Orange Head Krybots are patrolling the city. If one of them is destroyed, I'll know and for each one that falls, I'll send two more."

Sky considered himself an Agnostic ever since his father had died. He had not prayed a day in his life since that awful Sunday afternoon when his father's helmet was brought to him. He's stop believing there was someone watching over him and his father. He'd died in battle, alone. If someone had been watching over him, his father would have come home safe and sound.

"Pray that your friends are strong and fast enough. They've not much time left."

**North NewTech**

The sun beamed over both the heads of Bridge and Jack, its heat further increased by the reflection of the dome that now imprisoned the city. Bridge pulled an SPD cap out of his bag, if not he'd surely have a headache at night. Worse, maybe even a migraine.

Jack, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered by the heat. Perhaps his life on the street had made him more resistant to the weather factors, Bridge thought. Living out there must have been hard for him. The hot, humid summer days must have been especially horrible, with no air conditioner to cool him off. The winters weren't as harsh, but when the day became rainy, the droplets of water felt like ice against the skin. Bridge felt lucky to have a heater after training in the mud course during the winter, he feared his companion had nothing of that sort to heat himself up.

He ran his hand through his sweaty hair and ran a towel to wipe the back of his neck. "What's the plan?"

"We need to get to the Sunflower Corporation building and destroy that device." Jack answered, his mind going over the plan he'd been thinking of all day. "We can't morph, not yet."

Bridge raised his brow and began to protest. "If we don't morph we're dead."

"And if we morph, we are dead too." He stated grimly, looking down at the floor. "That's why I came prepared. I borrowed a suit from Ali's drive. If I go in dressed as a businessman, they won't know I'm a ranger. Think about it, they've never seen our faces, and I think it's…"

"Genius." Bridge interrupted happily. "You'll have advantage with your powers inside. And I'll take the ones outside. One more thing, are you and Ali dating?"

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. The green clad cadet had a knack for bringing up irrelevant topics on the worst of times. "This isn't about me and Ali, it's about Sky trapped by the crazy she-devil that threatens his life."

"Then that's a yes." Jack mentally slapped himself at his friend's insistence. Knowing Bridge had a short attention span and a great memory, he decided to come clean. "Yes, I'm seeing her once a week. We are just friends, nothing much happening with her and me."

Bridge scoffed, not believing one word out of his mouth. "Just friends, right. That's like saying Sky and Syd are just friends."

Bridge had meant it as a joke, of course. But the mood around them darkened instantly at the mention of their friends and fellow cadets. Sky and Syd were more than just a regular couple, they were soulmates destined for each other that had been torn apart by destiny and cruel acts. Both were prisoners of the same enemy now, one with a chance of easy survival, the other doomed to live in darkness against her desires.

Trying to lighten up the mood, Jack grinned and said, "Don't get me started on you and Z. Stay here until I tell you it's safe to move."

Bridge sighed in relief, happy to know Jack wasn't mad at him for his less than thoughtful comment on Sky and Syd.

After he'd changed, Jack saluted Bridge in the SPD fashion and began walking towards the entrance. The entrance was not heavily guarded, as he'd expected it to be. Only two of the robotic henchmen were stationed directly outside the doors, their weapons drawn in case of threats. He might not get so lucky on the inside; he feared that Pandora had not wasted any resources to protect the thing she'd strived so hard to activate.

Jack kept his head held high, his walk steady and normal to not give anything away. If the Krybots found him out, he would be forced to morph and his whole plan would crumble onto the ground. Reaching inside his pocket, the man took out a fake ID card Kat had manufactured for him. Bringing it close to the robot's faces, they looked it over and scanned it. Once it checked out as real, they nodded in approval and opened the doors for him. Jack walked in breezily as if nothing was wrong.

His instincts kicked once out of the Krybots' sights. Jack walked around, his dark eyes scanning the room for possible ways to get to the rooftop. The elevators were more heavily guarded: two for each elevator. With four elevators on the 1st floor, the count rose to 8 Krybots. He wondered if each floor had the same amount of Krybots, if so, they'd take a whole lot more than an hour to clear it out and deactivate the device.

For a moment, he even debated on climbing the staircase all the way just to avoid fighting them. He would leave the calculations to Bridge and decided it would just take way too long to climb that quantity of stairs. It was a risky move, but it would have to do. Jack had to be quick and efficient, otherwise, Sky would be fried.

Knowing words wouldn't get into their thick metallic heads, Jack decided it was better to make a statement rather than wait for them to listen. As he approached the elevators, the Krybots took their weapons out at ready. He smirked. His little run had gained just about enough speed to slide down, directly avoiding their weapons, and with the use of his powers, directly into the elevator. The Krybots must have been both angry, given by the clanking of their weapons against the elevator doors. Noticing the security camera overlooking the elevator, Jack knew the feed went to a security center, which was surely monitored by Krybots.

"Kat, can you hack the security feed at the Sunflower Corporation?"

"_On it, Jack."_

Jack shut his morpher and pressed the emergency button on the panel, thus closing the elevator doors until he deactivated the command. He sunk down on the floor, his morpher ready to be used. Once Kat gave him the signal, he'd morph and take those Orange Heads by surprise. _"You're good to go, Jack. The Commander will patrol the streets and take care of any threats for Z. Over and out."_

"Over and out, Kat." Jack stood, happy his plan had worked out after all. He morphed and deactivated the emergency button, pressing the R button to go up to the roof. He put the morpher to his mouth. "I'm on my way to the roof, Bridge. Threats are both outside and inside on the 1st floor."

"_On my way and ready to rumble, Red." _

Jack smirked. "So am I, Green."

The Red Ranger didn't take long to arrive at the roof. Upon stepping outside, he was greeted by his good friends, the Orange Head Krybots. He took the kick to the helmet and a punch to the stomach as signs of a warm welcome. He counterattacked with the same friendliness, sending one to hit the concrete wall. Taking out his Delta Max Blasters, Jack fired repeatedly at the still standing Orange Head. He grasped his weapons tightly, bracing himself for the impact of the enemy's blast, gasping in pain as it hit him.

"Enough games." The Red Ranger rose from the floor, a hand over his stomach. Painstakingly, he raised his weapons and shot at them with full power, leaving nothing but scraps afterwards. He unmorphed, deciding to switch tactics to save his fire power for later. He took his SPD-issued blaster to take down any more enemies.

Not being a Troobian Jack couldn't possibly know the price of an Orange Head, but knowing Broodwing's greediness, he could estimate that Grumm didn't get them at a cheap price. He'd destroyed two and wondered if Bridge had gotten the other two on the entrance as well. He shot the padlock around the door handle and sighed in relief as he encountered five regular-type Krybots, ready to attack him. Unlucky for them, Jack was ready to go at it again. Without his suit on, he felt even better after taking them down. The suit lifted his abilities, this time he wanted to feel the thrill of taking them out by himself, no help from anything or anyone.

Seeing him, the robotic henchmen ran to him. Having predicted their first moves, Jack shot at them. With clean shots that struck them right in the chest, the way to the device was clear. He closed one of his eyes, zooming in on the center of the device. He pulled on the trigger, the blast creating a small explosion.

Jack wasn't fully satisfied until the force field began vanishing overhead. Despite that, one victory didn't mean they had won the war yet. He stood tall and proud, overlooking the city to find any threats. "Force field is down."

"_Duly noted, Jack. Good work, Jack." _Bridge responded via morpher. _"The coast is clear down here. Took me a while to get them all, but I did it." _

"Great job, Bridge. Let's move and meet up with the Commander."

"_The faster we move, the better. I wouldn't want to be Sky at the moment. Pandora will be furious."_

Jack hadn't thought about Pandora's reaction. She might even kill Sky if it eased her terrible temperament. "I'll meet you downstairs."

**Piggy's Restaurant**

"Stupid idiots!" Pandora yelled, letting her anger out on two Krybots, completely destroying them. "A Ranger passed right under their noses! He destroyed my device and my force field!"

Sky thought that smoke would come out of her ears at any moment by the way she paced at the ground. At this rate, she would have Grumm's army completely destroyed in a single hour. A part of him was amused by her behavior, another scared that Pandora would take it out on him if he laughed, so he kept his face neutral.

Pandora sunk down on the chair, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I am surrounded by idiots. Can't anyone do their job right?"

"We may be able to help. Any friend of Morgana's is a friend of ours." Devastation's voice came to her ears like the sweetest of songs, a song of doom and destruction. The song of the day that SPD fell to its knees to the Troobian Empire. Hers was the song of doom.

"We are at your service, my Princess." This time it was Shorty who spoke.

Pandora turned to examine them, her face giving off a glint of hope, meaning she trusted them. "Kill anyone who's wearing brightly or dull-colored spandex and bring me their heads. SPD will fall today."

Shorty and Devastation began laughing, excited for their new assignment, as they walked away. "I shall use your friends' heads as decorative busts in my throne room."

Before Sky could say anything, his words were cut short by someone else. "I wouldn't call it a victory yet, Pandora. You are down on numbers."

Sky had been planning to say that, but Broodwing had cut right to the chase. "I don't care about numbers. I care about efficiency. You must have sold Grumm a thousand defective Orange Heads, you cheap bastard."

"Only the best quality for Grumm and his…" Broodwing looked her over and laughed. "Very expensive puppets."

Pandora's rage grew by millions every time she had to face Broodwing. The only reason she dealt with him was because of his technology. The day would come when she would acquire all of his assets and execute him. "I have no time to argue. I need more Orange Heads. 16 at least."

"It's too bad the Princess can't pay for them. No money, no Krybots." Broodwing laughed straight in front of her, ready to imitate her voice. Everyone had a breaking point, even Pandora. Sky confirmed that when she threw one of her deadly energy blasts at the alien. The alien scoffed, barely even scratched by her hit. "Do not underestimate me. I have money and I will pay you handsomely once we get to the Terror."

Broodwing sighed and approached her, reaching into his pocket for two devices that contained 8 Orange Heads each. "It's not your money I want now."

"What is then?" Pandora was confused and scared at the same time. Broodwing had a devious mind, and he was as cruel as Grumm. She hesitated to take them, but the sooner the Rangers were captured, the sooner she could get rid of Broodwing. She took them into her hands, swallowing the knot in her throat.

Broodwing laughed and smiled. "You'll see what your payment is later. For now, concentrate on killing the Rangers."

"They are of no use to us dead. I need toys and Grumm needs slaves. What better way to torture our most fearsome enemies?" Pandora emphasized on the word 'fearsome', saying it almost sarcastically, a small giggle emerging from her throat. "We'll talk once the Rangers are down." And with that Broodwing vanished into thin air.

Sky was slightly worried about what Broodwing would make her do to pay her debts. If he hurt Pandora, he hurt Sydney as well. He didn't want his friend to get hurt in a game she was a prisoner of. "You like making deals with the devil."

"And you just can't keep your mouth shut. I'll have to cut your tongue off when you are my slave." Pandora turned to him, the devices still in her hands. She debated on using them or not. Shorty and Devastation were now out there, they'd sure make a number on the Rangers. If that failed, she would call upon Morgana to find Dru.

Pandora paced around, debating on whether to use them or not. Her steps were rapid and marked with anger, dear and desperation. "If you don't stop that, you'll make a whole in the ground."

"KEEP QUIET!" Pandora yelled, her eyes turning completely pitch black. Sky's throat suddenly began closing in on him, no air passing through. He gasped in pain, his face turning a light shade of pink. "You'll speak when I want you to speak. I thought I had made that clear."

Her voice sounded so inhumane, as if a foreign presence had taken over her body, more powerful than Pandora's persona herself. Since Sky couldn't speak, he gave her a nod. Satisfied with his answer, the girl turned back, the air rushing back inside him as he took a deep breath.

**Downtown NewTech**

Jack and Bridge arrived just in the nick of time. The Commander was clearly struggling, as well as losing, in a fight against both Devastation and Shorty. Wasting no time, they both morphed and rushed into action.

The Green and Red Rangers managed to distract both of the villains. If the Commander took any more hits, he'd end up in the Medical Bay and they'd be another Ranger down. Losing a Ranger could mean losing the battle, thus losing Sky. Their attacks, despite being strong, were proving to be some what inefficient. Shorty and Devastation were proving to be the most challenging of all the aliens they'd faced in the past. No wonder one of their names literally meant doom.

Jack was glad he'd saved some of his firepower; the battle was proving to be arduous and brutal. Glad his suit protected him, he continued his assault on Shorty, his blasts powerful yet weak at the same time. Though, it seemed as if they were starting to take their toll on Shorty. _Time to change tactic. _He holstered his weapon, kicking him straight in the head and delivering a fatal combination, further weakening the villain.

Bridge groaned in pain as Devastation threw him onto the ground as if he were no heavier than a rag doll. Slowly, he regained his balance and got up from his position on the floor. With his Deltamax Striker at ready, the Green Ranger shot repeatedly at Devastation, but to no avail. The alien laughed, loving the tickling feel that the blasts gave his hard body. He kicked the weapon away from the Ranger's hands and punched him straight in the chest. The blow caused Bridge to land next to Jack. He groaned in pain as his companion helped him up. It was impossible for one to know the extent of their injuries with the suit on.

Jack and Bridge felt their hope fading away when they saw the Commander's forced unmorphing. They looked at each other in despair. Perhaps that was the day SPD would really fall.

The Commander was ushered towards them by both the villains. "We are done playing games." The villains raised their arms at the same time, a yellow laser shooting from their hands. It wasn't directed at them though, but at the ground. All three of them were perplexed.

Their answers were soon given when a red tinted force field engulfed them. The energy that radiated off it was both powerful and dark, making both Bridge and Jack fall to the ground unmorphed. The Commander barked roughly as an agonizing pain invaded his body. He wasn't the only one, though, both his cadets were down on the ground, writhing in pain.

Despite his best efforts to keep battling through the pain, it was proving to be too much of a daunting task. He looked over at the other two; Bridge was trembling, at the point of convulsing. Jack was gritting his teeth so hard, Cruger thought his eyes might pop out. "No more." They pleaded at the same time. Shorty and Devastation just laughed over and over again. "No can do. Grumm wants you dead, you're dead."

Cruger buried his nails into the pavement, still trying to hold on. He couldn't let them win, not Grumm. _Isinia, I'm so sorry. I failed you again. _His beady eyes began to close, the last word he whispered into the air was his wife's name.

Curger's eyes shot open after a few minutes, the pain no longer present. _I must be dead. _His eyes darted around, finding Jack and Bridge on the floor next to him. They were pretty much alive, just as he was. One thing was missing though: the force field they'd been trapped in.

Upon setting his sight on the two aliens, he saw they were being attacked by a Ranger. A white suit, adorned with gold and navy blue detailing, his badge golden instead of silver. _Friend or foe? _Cruger rose from the ground, taking his time to help the pair of cadets up from the floor.

"Who's the new addition to the range of Ranger Colors?" Bridge asked, trying to make joke to lighten up the mood. Nobody laughed. He had to remind himself of controlling his mouth before speaking.

Jack sighed and took his morpher out. "I don't know but we have to help him out. He's obviously not with Grumm."

The other two took their morphers out and changed into their Ranger suits. Few seconds later, they joined their new ally in the fight against Devastationa dn Shorty.

The new Ranger seemed to move even faster than them, his moves seemed deliberate and calculated rather than spontaneous. Bridge wondered if this guy had his same powers. Whatever Academy he was from, he'd been well trained, Cruger thought. "Kat, we need RIC."

"_On his way. He's all repaired and ready for action."_

"Thanks Kat." Just as the Commander shut his morpher, the robotic dog made his triumphal appearance before them. With a swift speed and an incredible force, it managed to get both of the attackers away from Jack and Bridge, sending them to tumble down on the floor. The Shadow, Red and Green Rangers stood side by side, summoning the Canine Cannon.

The Canine Cannon, activating its advanced technology, locked down on the villains, putting them both in a petrified state while the judgment took place. "Shorty and Devastation, you are accused of committing a series of crimes against the galaxy: stealing, murdering and the list goes on." The Red Ranger told them, despite knowing the verdict of their crimes.

As he'd expected, the verdict was guilty. A big red X appeared on his visor. RIC automatically loaded two containment cards onto its cannon. The Rangers pulled the trigger, the blast hitting both the villains and leaving them as nothing but containment cards.

"I'm glad you still conserve RIC, without him, we would have no Canine Cannon in the future." The mysterious Ranger said. _Clearly a friend, _the Commander thought. He lifted his visor to meet their eyes and show he was a friend. His eyes were green as leaves, his skin was fair with a few freckles dotting his cheeks. He almost looked like…

"Sam?" Bridge scratched his head, bewildered. "How?"

"It's a long story. If I say it now, I might confuse you even more than you already are." Sam smiled and nodded towards the other two Rangers, saluting the Commander respectfully. "Let's go get your friend."

"Z is already at the rendez-vouz point." Jack indicated, holding out his morpher.

**Piggy's Restaurant**

Pandora counted down the seconds on her invisible clock. She guided herself by the simple sight of the sky, which was now enveloped by a sheer veil of pinks and purples. The sun hadn't set in the horizon, though Sky knew he couldn't count himself lucky. At any point, the sun would lower and the moon would rise in the sky.

"Looks like I'm going to enjoy frying you." Pandora declared happily, a sadistic smile on her face as she rose from her seat and got the controller from the table, trying to decide on which level she would start on. "How about we go from high to low this time? Better that I give you the big pain right now and then I eventually lower it."

Sky didn't reply, knowing what would happen if he answered. "You like the idea? I'm glad."

"You took the words right out my mouth." He muttered sarcastically. Sky rolled his eyes and cursed himself for speaking out of turn. Sometimes his brain and his mouth didn't connect properly.

Pandora laughed, turning the dial up to 3. Sky screamed in pain as the pain invaded his body, his eyes watering. "You're making this too easy." Just when she was about to give him another one, the controller exploded in her hands. She felt a stinging sensation in her hands for a fraction of a second, and then it was gone.

The girl turned around to meet the offender. It was none other than the Yellow Ranger. Her gaze softened upon meeting Dru's human figure. Pandora dropped Sky back in his chair, pleased that her requests had been heard and answered. Now that she was finally reunited with him, Pandora would no longer have any use for Sky. "Did your bring it?"

"Yes." Z took out a silver box and handed it to her, along with prisoner Dru. Pandora opened it, examining the morpher thoroughly. "Go ahead and test it."

The villain rolled her eyes and stood up straight, knowing how to do so by her memories of the Rangers morphing. Pandora activated the morpher and glanced down at her Pink Ranger suit, knowing some modifications would have to be made to fit her tastes. She powered down and smiled, satisfied. "You kept your word, I guess I'll have to keep mine."

Pandora motioned to the Krybots, keeping her gaze fixed on Dru, her lips curled into a smile. Dru couldn't tell what she was planning, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. She looked so different, more evil. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He rather liked the more innocent and tender Rogue. Pandora sure didn't seem like someone he could manipulate.

The Krybots got the collar off Sky, as well as the cuffs on his wrists and ankles. He felt as if a huge load had been lifted off his shoulders, a small smile on his face as she saw Z. He wasn't glad that Dru was free or that the Pink Ranger Morpher was in Pandora's hand, but it meant a lot that his friends had sacrificed that much for him. He turned his head upon hearing male voices filtering through the alley. He clearly made out his roommate's voice from the cacophony.

Pandora's voice snapped him out his happy thoughts. "Did you think you'd get away so easily after betraying me?"

Dru met her pitch black orbs, his body becoming frozen in place. His legs were stuck to the ground, making him unable to move. "I'm sorry."

"Now you're sorry? You even tell lies when the tip of the knife is at your throat." Pandora made the collar around his neck tighten. The man gasped for air. The more he moved and struggled, the tighter it got. "You won't be telling lies again, I promise you that."

The collar began loosening, leaving behind a red mark as a reminder of her power. Just when Dru thought he was out of the woods, he felt an excruciating pain roaming over his body, spreading as quickly as fire. He fell to the ground, horrible gasps of pain escaping from his mouth as he writhed on the floor.

The Rangers didn't dare move upon witnessing that horrible visual. They were petrified at the thought of what she would do to them if they dared stop her.

Sky's eyes widened and Dru's body became stiff on the ground, a horrible cracking sound echoing trough the streets. He could only assume that has been the sounds of Dru's own bones breaking. His fingers were bent and twisted in odd ways, his skin began decaying instantly, turning itno nothing but leathery flesh. Gone in a second.

Pandora took a deep breath, a small gasp emerging from her mouth as she turned back to the Rangers. Her eyes were back to normal, and for that Sky was thankful.

"That's what happens when anyone betrays me. If I find out you tricked me, I won't give you the gift of quick deaths." Pandora glared at them, licking her lips. "I will use you as slaves and if it pleases me, I'll kill you just like I did him."

Those were her final words before vanishing into nothing but charred petals.

A grim mood had befallen them as they saw Dru's emaciated corpse on the street. Long gone were the celebrations and congratulations they had planned to tell each other all day long. Instead, they had been replaced by a bitter taste in their mouth, anger and sadness radiating from the heroes.


	36. Battle

**Chapter 36- Battle**

Z rubbed her eyes as the fluorescent lights that illuminated the now empty hallways of the Academy came into view. As her door opened, she debated on whether it was a good idea to leave the comfort of her bed at such an ungodly hour of the night. Glancing back at her clock, a loud groan emerged from her throat. It read 3 AM, meaning she had only four hours left to sleep. _If only sleep came to me, then I would be a happy camper. _Unfortunately, Z doubted that would happen anytime soon.

Her mind was racing with thoughts about what had happened to Dru. Despite that it had taken place a little over a week ago, the image of Dru's decaying corpse would be permanently embedded in her brain. Z could still perfectly recall his bright skin coloring itself into a ghastly shade of white, the veins that ran underneath his skin tinged black, his cheeks sinking into his face as his dead body fell to the ground…

It only took Z remembering to become frightened once again.

That hadn't been the worst part now that she reflected back on the horrible memory. The mental picture of Pandora conjured itself into his mind, specifically the young woman's face as her hands latched themselves onto Dru's neck like vicious hungry leeches, sucking every bit of his life onto the vessel of darkness. Pandora's olive-black eyes had erased any reference Z had to Sydney's baby blues. As horrible as Pandora's eyes were, Z couldn't turn away from watching the action unfold before her.

A part of her felt guilty for being glad that Pandora had taken care of Dru. With Dru down, they would have one less evil alien to take care of. With Broodwing and Morgana's creations running around NewTech wrecking havoc every other day of the week, the Rangers had more than enough to deal with. One more alien thrown into the batch and their chances of capturing Grumm would have been even slimmer than they were presently. Z could only imagine what would have been of them, especially Sky, if Dru would have become one of Grumm's generals.

Then it dawned on her that nobody, even evil aliens, deserved to die such a horrible death at the hands of a girl that had fallen prey to an Emperor. And in the process, she had become both a pawn and a puppet in his twisted game to gain control over Earth.

When the Rec Room finally came into view, Z felt as if she had been walking for the longest time. Her room wasn't that far away, it took her about 5 minutes to get there every morning. That had been the longest 5 minute period of her relatively short lifetime. The same had happened over at the Detention Area with Kat. As random thoughts popped into her head, she lost track of her own mind and actual time, and swam right into the pool of her thoughts. Once she'd come back out to reality, drenched and plagued with more doubts and questions, Z had already arrived at the destination.

The Rec Room was unusually dark, illuminated only by the street lamps' that filtered through the windows in the room. It was awfully quiet, also something rather strange for a room that was so full of life all day long. Her footsteps echoed through the dead silence, disconcerting Z for a few seconds before the realization hit her. With a small laugh, she proceeded to make her way to the Food Synthesizer in the back.

The light was enough for her not to bump into anything on her way there. Besides, the girl knew the room by heart. Another trip to the Synthesizer in the dark was nothing for her. She'd gotten used to it. Having made quite a few late night trips to the Rec Room during her first weeks at the Academy, she was more than used to walking around in the dark. Ever since finding out that there was a security camera that sent a live feed to a monitor in the Command Center, Z had kept the lights off to keep her little night time escapades a secret. She certainly didn't want Jack or anyone else in the team to know about her occasional cravings in the middle of the night.

After pressing the buttons on the screen to get a cup of warm milk, Z tapped her foot against the ground. She wasn't generally so impatient but as demonstrated before, seconds could turn into hours if she started to think about any subject that popped into her mind. Thinking was the last thing Z wanted to do at 3 AM in the morning. Hopefully, her late night ritual of drinking warm milk to fall asleep would work this time.

As Z patiently waited for her order to pop out, a shuffling noise in the dark background caught her attention. Turning her head, she noticed a figure that leaped away from the couch and into the opaque black oblivion that was the rest of the Rec Room. She had just promised herself not to over think anything that came at her. Now, it had gone out the window.

Her mind was racing with more thoughts than she could bear to handle at 3 AM. Brown eyes wandered around the room, looking for any possible weapons she could use against this faceless attacker. _If he is an attacker. _Z sighed, knowing it was practically impossible for a Krybot or an enemy alien to enter the Academy unnoticed. _Everything is possible with Grumm. You can never underestimate him. _And with that, Z's plan for the night had completely disappeared.

Grabbing a white plastic knife from a dispenser, Z shifted into a defensive position. The irony of her weapon of choice wasn't lost on her. _Brilliant, a piece of plastic. _It was as if her and the stranger in the room were playing a deadly game of rock, paper, scissors. One wrong move and the stranger would kill her in a matter of seconds. Taking a deep breath, the young woman recovered a little of her courage and dared ask the darkness, "Who's there?"

No answer was given. Instead, footsteps that weren't her own echoed throughout the room, creating a grim cacophony that seemed to match the color of the room to a't'. Ignoring the clear disadvantage she clearly had, Z ventured further into the darkness, determined to find whoever was taunting her.

Z's hands went numb on her. Doe brown eyes were fully open, as if she'd been caught in the headlights. The sound of chewing, seemingly dry from the crunch she perceived, caught her attention.

Throwing the knife to the floor, Z walked over to the light panel. She was clearly not amused, as Bridge could see when the light was turned on. "Bridge! I could have stabbed you, you know?"

Bridge said nothing and just emitted an innocent laugh. "Don't laugh. It's not funny. I almost had a heart attack back there."

"You stabbing me with a plastic knife. Now that would have been interesting to see." The Green Ranger laughed again. Apparently the irony of Z's dilemma had dawned on him too. Moments later, the young woman began to laugh again, admitting how silly her statement had sounded. Once the laughter died down, Bridge sat on the couch and stared at her. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Z pointed to the steaming milk, still in the synthesizer. "What are _you _doing here?"

"You haven't answered my question yet." Z should have known better than try to surpass Bridge's powers. Despite not using them, he always had a way to uncover even the most hidden truths. He was really good and always knew when someone was lying. "What are you doing here?"

Z sighed, sitting besides Bridge when she finally had her cup of warm milk resting on her hands. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about everything that happened this week. First Sky, then Dru… what else can she throw at us?"

"I can't begin to imagine what Sky is going through." Bridge looked at his hands for a moment. "I mean, I can because I have the ability to read his emotions but I wouldn't dare do that to him. Better he tells us."

"You're right about that," Interjected a deep male voice behind them. "And to answer your question: Sky is going through a lot of mixed emotions."

Z groaned and rubbed her temples. "First Bridge scares me and now you. Way to go, Sky."

Bridge wanted to laugh but repressed it, sensing the mood in the room had become more somber. As much as he wished to know Sky's feelings about last week's events, he would never dare to read his friend's emotions without his consent. Doing that would result in a total invasion of his privacy, not to speak of a rupture in their friendship. That was the last thing they needed. If they were to win the war against Grumm, they had to stick together.

Sky, wearing his uniform pants and his blue SPD-issued shirt, took a seat in front of them. Z giggled and shook her head. "There's no way you sleep in your uniform. Don't you get tired of that thing?"

"I haven't gone to bed, to be honest." It was true Sky hadn't gone to bed. During the interludes were Bridge was half-asleep, half-conscious, he hadn't once seen his roommate enter their room. He thought Sky must have been on patrol at the Command Center. Apparently, the night hadn't been kind to him either. Seeing their faces, he knew his teammates would inquire about his behavior as of lately.

Bridge had noticed it, Sky was sure of it. Whether it was his late night outings to the Rec room or his constant desire to take up patrol for the others, nothing got past the Green Ranger's radar. Perhaps, Sky thought, while he was sitting by the windows, Bridge could have been hiding in the shadows without him noticing. His late night rituals hadn't gone unseen, so now he sat wondering why Bridge hadn't said anything to him yet.

It was time to come clean about what brought him sleepless nights, although Sky could tell they knew already. "I…" His voice was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The familiar shape of a young man with dreadlocks was made present. _I'm even more distracted than I thought. Jack was missing and I couldn't even tell. _The Blue Ranger mentally kicked himself and commanded him to sit.

Slightly annoyed, Jack sat on the opposite couch that faced Sky. All he wanted to do was go to bed, dreading the training that would come in the morning. If they had any common sense, the others would do the same. _Only twenty minutes and then I'm off to bed_.

Sky cleared his throat, hoping he could tell his story without any emotional mishaps. Sincerely doubting himself, his voice shook in his throat as he began his retelling of the horrors he faced at Grumm's ship. "I couldn't see anything as the Krybots locked me away in a pitch black cell, it was as if I had been blinded. I had no blindfold nor was I chained. The darkness was my chain."

Jack sighed, feeling guilty for putting his own selfish needs before a friend's. Never had he seen Sky so broken before. It pained him to see such a strong man slowly wasting away into a reflection of what was once a stubborn, brave young hero fully dedicated to his task of protecting Earth.

"Unknown to me, monsters hid in the dark. I could not see any of them but I could feel their hands and their feet over me, constantly bringing me in and out of unconsciousness." Sky turned his back to them for a moment, a ragged sigh emerging from his mouth. "The only thing that kept me fighting was the image of Syd in my mind. All I remember thinking was how I was going to ask her out on a date. It kept me going."

The other Rangers let out little laughs, thinking of how amusing it would be to see their uptight friend asking out a girl that was his complete opposite. "When I finally saw light, I just knew that Syd had arranged an exchange with Grumm. I was unaware of the time I'd spent in there."

"You must have been relieved when you were finally brought back." Z had concern written all over her face.

Sky turned to face them, his face stained with fresh tear tracks. "For a moment I was. I had never been as grateful for rain as I was that night. But then, I heard Syd's voice through Morgana's obnoxious laugh. Despite being unconscious, I felt her lips upon mine and her voice comforting me. And in a moment, she vanished."

The other Rangers were unsure of what to say after hearing Sky's words. No one could think properly. The thought of Sky getting tortured and Sydney having the same done to her, or even worse given her current state, would be in their minds for some time.

"Sydney did this because she loves you, Sky. I had never met anyone risk so much. Her own life and body…" Z trailed off, an image of Sydney getting the same treatment as Sky appearing in her mind.

"Not only for me. I'm guessing that if any of you had been there, she would have done the same." Sky answered, looking Z in the eye. The pain he'd been though had been horrible. But none of that pain amounted to what he felt at the moment. Having Syd stripped away from him once again had to be the greatest pain he'd ever been though. To know that it had been his fault all over again was equally as painful.

Years ago, it had been because Sky had just been a little boy and had no knowledge of the evil that lurked in the universe apart from the monsters that hid underneath his bed and inside his closet. Or any knowledge about the dormant powers that were hidden inside him, for that matter. Now, Sky was strong, stronger than many and he couldn't fend off a crazy woman and Krybots to save Sydney?

Sighing, Sky laid his head back, not knowing how he'd be able to sleep at night knowing he'd let such a horrible thing happen to Sydney. Meeting Bridge's eyes, Sky knew his roommate had already caught up on what he was thinking despite not even taking off his gloves or using his powers. Bridge was just that good at reading body language.

"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have done anything. You were unconscious when we picked you up, Sky." Bridge said, smiling as Z put a hand over her friend's shoulder, trying to ease his troubled conscience into a state of peace where he could finally let of the guilt and anger that had troubled him for many years. "It's not healthy. You can't keep doing this to yourself."

"Bridge is right. The important thing is that you're back with us and you have something to fight for. Syd is the fuel that will light your fire in battle." Jack smiled, no knowing how he had gotten so philosophical all of a sudden. Smiling at himself for that little reflection, he looked at Z who was giving him a raised eyebrow.

Jack returned the same look to his sister. "What?"

"Who knew you could be so philosophical? I mean, 'the fuel to light your fire'. Any girl would melt hearing that, especially a certain girl I know you've been seeing." Z gave him a cheeky grin, letting out a small laugh as Jack threw a pillow at her head. It was those moments that made them truly feel lika team and not four separate identities fighting for a common purpose.

Sky couldn't help but crack a smile, his eyes turning to the window. Silently, he wondered what Pandora was doing at that moment up above in the Galaxy.

_**Planet Karok**_

As her eyes cracked open, sunlight filtered through a small opening in the cell she was in. As Pandora realized what she was being held in, her eyes snapped wide open. The bars before her eyes told her that she was in some kind of prison. Even in her stupor, she could tell it was not an SPD prison. SPD would never keep their prisoners in a cell made out of stone and much less one that had hay on the floor.

Wherever she was in, it made Pandora think that she was some kind of farm animal.

Now that Pandora realized the mess she was in, she tried using her powers on the bars. Being so cocky, she thought that metal would not be a problem for her powers. Anything they threw at her, she could easily beat them. What she hadn't expected was that the bars would be not only resistant to her powers but that they would reciprocate by shocking her with a wave of power that was similar in magnitude to hers.

The blow had left her breathless, her body lying on the floor. This must have been what Dru was feeling like when she'd taken his life back in Newtech. Slowly, Pandora lifted herself off the ground. She shook her head, realizing now who'd brought her here.

"Broodwing, my dear friend. I can't say I've missed your ugly face." Pandora replied, trying to pretend like nothing was wrong and that she had not been hurt by that shock. As her stupor became more subdued, Pandora realized that even her clothes had been changed. The quality of the leather she was wearing was different and even the color. This leather was more rustic and brown in color. Gladly, she was wearing a pair of pants and not a skirt.

Broodwing let out a loud laugh, knowing this girl had no idea what was coming to her. "Let's cut the crap. You owe me, princess. You'll soon the way I make people repay my debts."

"How exactly? Cleaning your feet, washing your cape, clean your robots…" Pandora would have gone on if it hadn't been for another shock delivered to her body, this time courtesy of Broodwing. Groaning, she put a hand over her stomach and glared at him.

"None of that. You will make me a lot of money. So you better win." Broodwing said simply, a pair of Krybots escorting her to the outside of the cell and into some sort of dark tunnel. The Krybots basically dragged her the whole way through until her eyes came upon a little ray of sunlight that filtered through a pair of large wooden doors.

Pandora fought against the Krybots holding her down. The attempt turned out to be futile. As they reached the door, the young villain turned to Broodwing, whose face was barely visible in the unlit tunnel. "I suggest you save that energy in you for what's about to come."

"I don't know what you want but you're not getting away with this. If Grumm finds out…"

"Who do you think suggested I do this?" Pandora blinked her eyes at that revelation. Grumm had put Broodwing up to this, apparently. She couldn't believe that the person that had helped her become the villain she was now could do this to her. "I had other plans for you but I have to admit bringing you here is a pretty brilliant idea."

"Where am I, Broodwing?" Pandora asked, raising her voice even louder than before to emphasize her desperation. At that point, she didn't care if Broodwing saw her dear or her anger, Pandora just wanted answers. There would be consequences if no one told her anything at that moment. "Where am I?!"

Broodwing chuckled as the Orange Heads escorted her out after opening the doors. At first, Pandora had to close her sensitive eyes to the bright, white sunlight that had invaded her sight. She put a hand over her eyes, letting out a small gasp as the robotic soldiers threw her onto the ground. As her hands touched the surface, she felt it was grainy and it had a crystal-like consistency to it. Almost like salt.

As her eyes opened, Pandora finally realized what was beneath the palm of her hands. It was sand. Her ears had registered what sounded like a loud buzzing but as the dull deafness that had invaded her ears a while ago vanished, the girl realized it was actually a crowd shouting. Rising from the ground, her gaze widened as the realization hit her. She was standing inside a circular Arena.

Now she knew where Broodwing had brought her to. Planet Karok was known through the galaxy as a planet that had been through countless wars over the centuries. Its population consisted of many different races of alien species from far and wide across the galaxy, even some that now lived in supposed harmony that had once been mortal enemies. But Karok was not only known for its epic battles, it was best known for its famous Arena where prisoners from every race in the galaxy had at least fought there once. Perhaps it was even better known for the deadly warriors that fought in its sands.

As Pandora now came upon the realization that it was either win or die for her. Whoever was her enemy would not hesitate to demolish her body. The warriors in the Arena weren't exactly known to possess a higher intelligence like she did. They were better known for their brute force. At least, Pandora had two advantages with her powers and her brain. If anything was going to get her out of there, it would be those two things.

Pandora had traveled to Karok before to search for warriors that would aid her in Grumm's cause but none had gotten her attention. All of the fights she'd seen involves spineless brutes hitting each other and throwing all they had against the enemy. At first it had been rather entertaining to watch but by the third fight, Pandora usually left after collecting her winning from the bets she placed, which she usually ended up winning. The only time she'd lost had been after she'd put her money on the biggest rival, who seemed like the strongest.

Ever since that day, she'd told herself that size does not win a battle or determine the outcome, will and power do.

Her eyes traveled through the stands of screaming her people, their faces becoming those of vicious monsters, fueled by their greed and bloodlust. Not once had she been that rowdy when she was up there. The bloodlust of the Arena had never thrilled her as much as the winnings had done once all the fighting was done.

As the clamor of voices rose in intensity, she looked back at the gates she'd come in through. Through the wooden doors came a figure so ominous, she thought she might die right then and there. Her enemy was as opposing as he was appalling. His size tripled hers and his body seemed even stronger than hers in comparison. If she didn't have her powers, he could have easily taken her out with a simple smack of his hand.

What surprised her the most was her enemy's face. It was one that could have breathed fear even into Grumm and her Master was the epitome of fear incarnate. His face seemed to have been passed through the grill of a hot oven several times, half of his upper and lower lip had apparently been torn off and his yellowing teeth and part of the muscle underneath were showing.

When a voice called out behind her in a foreign alien dialect, she walked over to the representative. Before every battle, both warriors were made to pick a weapon at random from three different mystery boxes. The weapons could range from everything like a highly useful sword to a useless small blade that was better for killing oneself rather than to fight with in the Arena.

Pandora awaited anxiously, nervous as to who'd go first. After picking the face of the coin with the skull and her opponent, by default, having to pick the snake, the representative flipped the coin. Her face nearly fell as the snake was revealed. She cursed herself and bit her lower lip, nervously awaiting her turn, trying to figure out what weapons could be inside the heavy boxes. A loud grunt emerged from his mouth, a few gurgling sounds emerging from his mouth.

Raising a brow, she turned to the boxes to see which one he had picked. The representative cleared his throat. "Your opponent had renounced his weapon. It seems he has given you his weapon as well."

Either this alien was completely stupid or was truly too strong to take her out, even with her weapons and all her power. Either way, she wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Pandora approached the boxes with caution, trying to get a reading of what weapons may be inside. Slowly, she bit her lower lip after pressing the palms of her hands against the first and third box.

Slowly, she took a few steps aback, her heart beating louder than ever, pulsating inside her chest like a beating drum. Taking a deep breath as the boxes were lifted, Pandora felt a slight hint of relief when she discovered the double bladed staff and the twin blades underneath the boxes. After retrieving her weapons, she bowed her head to the representative, indicating she was ready to begin.

Once the horn that indicated it was time to begin blew, the brute that was her enemy sent her flying to the wall with a simple slap of his hand. She now saw why he'd agreed to let her have his weapon. She'd clearly need it. As he charged at her again, Pandora swung the double edged blade in front of her body. He was quick to attack but slow to react, as far as she could tell. Smiling as she saw a way out of the clear threshold she was in, Pandora slid through his open legs gracefully and stabbed the back of his leg ferociously, finding it difficult to do so since he had a thicker skin than hers. She stabbed him ferociously, trying to incapacitate him.

As a loud growl escaped the warrior's lips, Pandora was kicked into the ground by his heavy feet. Slowly, she rose again, her stomach and arms filled with scratches from the sand beneath them. She placed a finger to her lips, the taste of her blood invading the taste buds in her tongue. She needed a way to get up into his head and cut the life at the source.

Her eyes narrowed as the warrior came at her again. She slid down through his open legs and stabbed him again, this time using the staff as a lever to lift her self higher. She pulled out the twin blades, deciding to give them some use as instruments to help her climb up. It took some time due to her enemy's hardened skin.

That wasn't the worst part. Each time the knife went it, he would let out the most agonizing and piercing of screams that would surely have their repercussions on her head later. Pandora was already more than halfway up when his body began to titillate forward, almost threatening to fall over. If he fell dead at that moment, the crowd would be disappointed.

A big part of the battles in the Arena of Karok was the crowd. If the crowd didn't think the bloodshed and the violence was entertaining, they could immediately throw another enemy at her. What Pandora needed at the moment was give the crowd a good show and she'd be able to leave. A good show meant prolonging the pain and the screaming to satisfy them.

Giving a sinister grin to the crowd, she rose even higher. After Pandora took out one of the knives, she extended her arm upwards and let out a victorious scream. Surprisingly, the crowd cheered back at her, roaring like a herd of wild animals. Inserting the knife onto the back of her enemy once again, Pandora made a big effort to stay up there, despite the titillation that was happening. As the crowd roared, she felt even more determined.

After what seemed like a gut-wrenching hour, Pandora finally wrapped her arms around his neck, inserting the knife onto the back of his neck to lift herself up. As she climbed up onto his head, Pandora finally felt triumphant. Once again, she lifted her knife up and roared at the crowd wildly. The roar and cacophony that filled her ears made her feel even better about what she was doing.

Slowly, she lowered herself down his face, inserting her knife right through the eye to incapacitate her enemy even further. Her ability and acrobatic training permitted her to lower herself gracefully to where his neck was visible.

Inserting her last knife through the hard skin, Pandora clung to it for dear life with one hand. She felt her grip getting slippery due to the sweat. She told herself it wouldn't be long before the battle was over. As she took out the double bladed staff, the girl impaled his neck with it, her knife cutting through the skin, leaving a perfect red straight red line.

As her enemy started tilting forward, Pandora knew it was time to get off the train and onto safe ground. There was no way to climb back down his back, not with all the tilting her enemy was doing. She was unsure of what direction he'd be falling in. All she knew is that she needed to be off him as soon as possible. Taking out her staff from the body, she had not seen the blood flow coming. She closed her eyes, feeling the blood of the falling warrior drenching her. It certainly didn't smell like the blood of humans or less. The smell was putrid, even worse than Grumm's feet.

Pandora clung there for the moment, trying to cope with the smell. She could feel the bile rising inside her throat, threatening to spill out. She had to give this audience a show and be the one who came out alive. Determined not to lose, the blood-soaked petite lifted herself off his body, throwing herself on her back with her arms extended. The first thing to impale the ground was the staff. As the ground drew to a close, she somersaulted backwards and skillfully landed on her feet and not on her back, as many thought Pandora would.

Smiling smugly, Pandora pulled her staff from the ground and looked at her tilting enemy. Deciding to give him a push towards his inevitable demise, she put the staff through the back of his other leg. The body began tilting forward, slowly descending forward until it hit the ground. She lifted the staff and roared at the crowd once again, bowing gracefully. As the crowd cheered and screamed, Pandora climbed up the body once again, stabbing the body to make sure he stayed dead.

As the representative from Karok entered the Arena once again, the villain stepped back and let him do his work. Despite already knowing he was dead meat, she let the alien do his work. Her nose could smell the dead from miles. Once the representative announced her enemy was dead, he lifted Pandora's arm to the air.

"Pandora from Planet Earth!" The representative announced triumphantly. She could hear the surprise in his voice when he announced it himself. An hour ago, she wouldn't have believed she could win either.

"From Troobia as well. I don't fight with planet Earth." Pandora whispered in the representative's ear. The dwarf-like creature nodded its head and looked onto the crowd. "Pandora from Troobia!"

The crowd roared even louder when they announced where her true allegiance really lied with. Grumm had recruited many people from Karok in the past. Perhaps it was time for her to find her own army to show Grumm just how capable she was of being one of his generals. The first thing she'd do once they were out of there would be to call Morgana and have her come over. She needed a second in command and there was no better person than Morgana for that. Besides, Pandora only trusted Morgana.

Pandora's cold blue gaze scanned the crowd for Broodwing. As she spotted him, her eyes narrowed, her pupils becoming completely black. With a sinister smile, she blasted the alien who could do nothing but groan in response. Spectators were not allowed to bring weapons into the Arena for obvious reasons. Her eyes turned back to blue when she saw Broodwing vanish.

Once the horn blew to indicate the fight was over, the crowd began to disperse. The representative began escorting her back inside where she'd originally been in. "Will you be staying with us?"

"Yes, I will be staying for tomorrow's Games. I need a place to sleep." Pandora cracked her neck and stretched, looking at the Alien intently before turning her gaze to the window in her open cell.

"Follow me, then. You fought your battle and won your freedom. You do not belong here."

As he began to walk outside the cell area, Pandora followed him. She'd been strong inside the battlefield and held it on, but now that the crowd was not watching her fight, there was nothing more to hide. She hid behind an old establishment and vomited quietly, gasping for air as she did. After wiping her mouth, still left with that bitter aftertaste, Pandora rejoined the alien.

"I need a bath."

The representative nodded and escorted to nearby manor. After escorting the girl to her room, he handed her a key. "We'll have a healer and some food sent over. The Senate of Karok would like to request your presence tomorrow at their balcony for the Games tomorrow. Would you be able to attend?"

"Yes, inform the Senate of Karok I would be delighted to watch the Games with them. Also, put out an extra chair. I will have company." Pandora answered with a soft smile as she looked around the luxurious room she'd been given. If winners made an impression, they certainly got some nice things. Smiling at herself, she closed the drapes for privacy. "Another human for Troobia, my second in command, will be joining me tomorrow. Do you still have slave markets."

"Yes, they are open once a week, tomorrow to be exact. Should I send an escort to guide you?" The representative asked politely, turning around when she began to undress. Pandora smiled and put a robe over her blood soaked body.

"That would be great. I would like to be left alone now." The representative took a bow and left the young villain on her own to do as she pleased.

Once he left, Pandora sank into a tub of warm water, thoroughly washing her body of any grime, sand or blood that had been left behind. The water underneath her was tinged a slight pink once she got out. Sighing, she wrapped the towel around herself and dressed in a fine silk nightgown that had been brought to her. She went over to the window and thought of the day that was yet to come and the people she'd recruit in the slave market.


	37. Alliances

_Author's Note: I would like to apologize for the wait. It was a hellish semester for me at University and I really found no time to post until now. My brain was so dead and blocked from everything that was happening that I couldn't do a decent chapter. Now that the school is out of the way, I can write more!_

_**Chapter 37- Alliances**_

Pandora sat in her bedroom, patiently anticipating Morgana's visit. She looked around the solitary room and walked over to the mirror, knowing exactly what she'd find staring back at her. She still didn't know the reason why seeing her reflection frightened her that much. Pandora had not felt like the person looking back at her was herself ever since she had returned to Grumm's clutches. Whatever stared back at her was not her true self; of that much she was sure.

Pandora's shaking fingers stroked strands of her blonde hair, a small gasp echoing through the bathroom as she saw yet another platinum streak that had seemingly grown overnight. It was yet another sign of the darkness taking over. Sooner or later, Pandora would become that monster in the mirror and no matter how hard she tried; she would lose that fight with herself and give into the darkness.

A part of her knew she was not supposed to care. Pandora was supposed to be a killer with a heart made out of stone, a warrior of darkness and evil. Perhaps she was behaving like a naïve child or perhaps it was instinct telling her that she was only a pawn in Grumm's twisted, cruel games, but Pandora could tell there was something brewing beneath the surface and whatever it was, it would be potentially devastating for her.

Pawn or not, Pandora would not allow herself to show fear in front of Grumm or Broodwing. The less they suspected the better. She put a finger to the mirror and stroked the cool glass surface for a moment, her eyes growing wide as the reflection snickered back at her. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering if her mind was beginning to play tricks with her. Pandora recalled Piggy telling her about Black Crystal's potential side effects. Slowly, she peeled her eyes open and pried at the image in the mirror.

Her reflection seemed to be back to normal. Her mind was now racing with thoughts of Grumm doing this on purpose to make her go insane and deem her useless in the near future. In his mind, Pandora and Morgana were useless pawns. They could be disposed of like they were nothing trash once the fight was over.

A knock on the door made her turn mind from thoughts. Pandora adjusted her silk robe and cleaned her face with a splash of cold water, gasping loudly before drying her face with a soft towel. She walked over to the door and opened it up, looking at Morgana with a serious expression. She let her in and sighed, never having been as grateful for an interruption as she was now.

"Rough night?" Morgana snickered as she set eyes on the blonde's figure. Pandora had seen better days apparently. She seemed much more pale than usual and looked tired, almost saddened by something.

"More like rough fight. I need your help." Pandora couldn't believe those words had just come out of her mouth. Normally, she was too proud to ask for such a thing, especially from someone like Morgana. Morgana would no doubt hold this against her for as long as they lived. But the brunette's expression had gone from mocking to actually showing shock.

Morgana just stood there for a moment, astounded by Pandora's admission. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she finally said, "It must be pretty serious if you need _me_."

"Thank you for not gloating. I would not be asking for your help if there wasn't something in all of this for you." Pandora looked her in the eye and sat on the bed, feeling weaker than she had in years. She lied down for a moment, biting her lower lip.

Morgana's ears perked up at the sound of a deal. There weren't many things she loved in life, but if there was money involves, then she was all in. "I'm all ears. I have been a little short of cash lately."

Pandora rolled her eyes, knowing that Morgana's greed would get the best of her yet again. Money was always been the number one priority in that girl's mind, even before her own life. She hoped she would be able to get through her thick skull and actually get her to listen.

"It's not cash, Morgana. Your life is on the line here. Our lives, actually." Pandora turned to look her in the eye and walked over to the window, staring outside. "Broodwing tried to kill me yesterday. Grumm was the one who gave the order. The fight was easy. I knew my enemy would not win."

Morgana sat down, originally thinking that Pandora had been in Karok for business. At least that was what Broodwing and Grumm had told her. It did seem strange that Pandora had stayed. She recalled that Pandora once told her she hated Karok. "He gave up his weapon before the fight. I'm guessing Broodwing arranged this whole deal to show me a lesson."

Morgana stayed silent as she heard the events from last night. No one in Karok would give their weapons up greedily. Everyone in Karok was greedy and they had no morals. It all seemed too strange to be coincidence. The only possible explanation here was there had to be puppeteers that were staging this whole show.

"What are you thinking about?" Morgana asked, wondering what was running through Pandora's mind at the moment. Feeling betrayed had to be one of the worst feelings ever experienced. She felt a pang of guilt and took a deep breath.

Pandora turned away from the window and sat in front of her, shakily grabbing her cup of tea and putting it to her mouth. "They are going to dispose of us when this is all over. We are slaves to them Morgana. We live in fear of punishment from them. To them, we are nothing."

Pandora took a deep breath and put her head in her hands. It had been a long time since Morgana had seen her be so vulnerable. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she'd last seen her cry. "If this is any indication, they will do it publicly but they won't let us live after all this is over."

"What do you suggest we do?" The brunette asked intently, knowing she was right. Grumm had always talked about Broodwing's share when Earth was taken over, but as far as she knew there was nothing for them. Morgana never thought Grumm could be so evil to dispose of the people that helped him achieve his plans.

Pandora went into the bathroom for a second, coming out dressed in a simple white gown. "We need our own army but we need to keep this as quiet as possible and I don't know how we're going to do that. Broodwing has little bats spying for him."

Morgana thought of a strategy but came up with nothing at that moment. She was sure she'd come up with a way to beat Broodwing's ways sooner or later but it would take time. One could not simply attempt to dethrone one of the most influential aliens in the criminal world. They would have to wait until they saw weakness to stroke at the core. "The last thing we want is someone going up to Broodwing and telling him we've rebelled."

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but we need to ally ourselves with the Rangers somehow. I'm not saying it has to be at this moment. In fact, we will have to wait until Grumm makes his final strike." Morgana just gaped at her suggestion. She had never expected to hear that from Pandora's lips. It sounded crazy coming from a villain's lips, especially someone who had been drugged and taught to hate them in the past. "You'll catch a fly if you don't close your mouth."

Morgana took a while to react but finally nodded weakly. "The Rangers will seal us in cards. They will seal me in a card."

"Even if they do that, we will still be alive. Contained in a card, but still alive and we have a chance to get less time this way." Pandora sighed and bit her lower lip, taking Morgana's hand in hers. "Whatever happens, we are in this together. I may be evil but I don't want to die in Grumm's hands."

Morgana realized Pandora had a point. No matter how evil they were, they were still human. Part of them still had deep seeded feelings of hate and grief, rooted mostly in how Grumm had come to acquire them. Both of them were slaves. Slaves that could easily be used and disposed of when they'd done their duties. Knowing Grumm, the way to kill them wouldn't go unnoticed. He'd do it publicly, in front of everyone.

Morgana was deep in thought for a moment, sighing as she ate a biscuit. "So what do we do now?"

"Nothing. We have to wait for the right time to act. If Grumm or Broodwing even suspect of us, our deaths will come sooner than expected." Pandora put a finger to her lips when she heard someone knocking on the door. It must be the escort that would lead them around the slave market. She opened the door slowly and let the alien inside.

"An Aquitian, what a fall from grace from such a mighty race of noble aliens." Pandora looked the Aquitian over, shooting daggers from her eyes. Morgana found it incredible that she could switch from being a scared little girl to the deadly villain everyone knew and was scared of. "As much as I'd like to hear the story of how you came to Karok, we have little time."

The Aquitian nodded and bowed his head before her. The Aquitian were an honorable race of aliens that despised slavery. Their crusades across the galaxies to free slaves were widely known. That an Aquitian would be found on Karok and selling slaves was something one did not see everyday. "My name is Quartz."

Morgana and Pandora left the room behind him without another word. Despite being in the same situation as him, exiled from their own people and being prisoners in their new lives, they had to pretend to be as cold-hearted so no one would suspect. Even Quartz could be a spy in disguise for Broodwing. The only people they could truly trust were themselves.

Once they arrived at the market, Pandora bought a new set of clothes that consisted mostly of dresses. She was known for fighting in revealing and tight clothing. That was the image that Grumm had created for her. It was time to create a new image that was truly hers.

Morgana quirked her brow, questioning Pandora silently. Of all the times to be having a shopping spree, she had seen fit to make this the time to shopfor clothes. And at Karok of all places. If Pandora wanted a decent shopping spree, she could have attacked any other planet that was known for fashion. Pandora turned to look at her and smiled, laughing at the expression on her face.

"I'm getting rid of the image Grumm created for me. I know Karok is not exactly known for being a fashion capital but it will have to do. I do need to spend part of my winnings on something." Pandora pointed to a leather pouch hanging from the belt of her dress. She had quite a few golden coins that could be used to buy both slaves and a new wardrobe. "Don't worry, I will save some of it for later. I have bigger plans for this money."

Pandora covered herself with a black cloak and looked at Morgana, indicating she was ready to leave. Morgana closed her eyes and took her hand. Both girls vanished into nothing, leaving only that trail of charred rose petals behind them as they always did.

_**Planet Earth**_

"This place looks like the set of a torture flick without the fake blood. It's giving me the creeps." Z pointed out as they entered the desolate cave. She put her blaster away when she noticed the coast was clear. After a few seconds of close analysis, Z motioned with her head when she noticed everything was clear.

An hour ago, Kat had tipped them off about some irregular activity around the cave near Turtle Beach. She'd noticed strange things in the satellite feeds that recorded around that area, like Krybots entering and coming out. And she'd seen an image of a young female, whose face was covered with a bag, entering the cave and not coming out until a few days later.

Just as expected, the place was desolate. Desolate but not empty. Whoever had been working had left quite a mess behind. And by mess, they meant evidence. Kat had been hopeful that had been the place where Syd had been taken after being kidnapped by Morgana. She thought it was no coincidence that the time stamp was the same as the date Sydney had traded herself to save Sky.

Upon entering, Bridge was immediately it with several emotions all at once. He immediately put his glove back on, his mind becoming overwhelmed almost instantly. Pain, grief, confusion, anger… it was every emotion that was dangerous to Bridge coming at him all at once. Upon noticing this, Z ran up to him and helped him sit down on a leather chair in front of a console and a large screen.

Sky sighed, not wanting to think of what had happened to Sydney while she had been here. There was a small shred of hope that the woman that had been here had been someone else and not her. It wasn't exactly a nice thought, he knew that, but it gave him some hope. He scanned the medical bed and the restraints carefully, noticing there was a pair of metallic discs attached to them. He retrieved one of them and placed it on a small bag designed to store evidence.

"Jack, I found something."

Jack walked over to him and scanned the restraints, looking over at Sky after scanning them over with his morpher. He sighed as the results came back on screen. "Whoever was here had powers. The discs are used to suppress abilities."

"You mean that Syd's powers were suppressed during the whole process. No wonder she did not fight." Jack sighed, sensing the rage in Sky's voice. He was already drawing conclusions thought it was most likely that it had been Syd on the medical bed.

"Look, we don't know if it was Syd…"

"Of course we know it was her. We are just sugar-coating the whole situation. Who else would Grumm bring here and torture like this?" Sky asked, pointing to the bed. He sighed and gasped as he found a lock of blonde hair hidden underneath the pillow, further confirming his suspicions. "I can't imagine what was done to her. It seemed so quick. Her change… it was frightening."

Bridge looked at the screen before him and his eyes grew wide as a video of Sydney came up on screen. It seemed that they had been keeping surveillance on their patient while she was there. Z sighed, not wanting to see what had been done to her friend. The video surveillance lasted around a week and it spread no detail. As Bridge fast forwarded it, he saw everything from Syd sleeping to Syd puking… it wasn't a pretty image.

"Turn it off, please." Sky turned away and sighed, closing his eyes. Bridges immediately made the screen turn black, knowing how painful it must be for Sky to be witness to such a terrible thing, especially when it came to Syd. Even without having his gloves off, Bridge could feel the guilt radiating off Sky. He took a deep breath and looked at him.

Z walked up to him and put a hand to his shoulder. "You don't have to feel guilty about this. This is not your fault. If anyone is to blame here, it's Grumm. I'm sure not even she knew this would happen."

Jack came up to him and escorted him outside, signaling for Bridge and Z to pack the rest of the evidence. Seeing all those things left behind wasn't healthy for Sky. Being angry and saddened about Syd's loss was perfectly understandable but none of that would bring her back. Sky had to hold it together and keep pushing or all of this would bring him to the brink of self destruction.

"I know it isn't much comfort but at least we will know what happened to Syd now. When we know what happened to her, it will be much easier to find some type of cure." Jack answered, looking at the other Rangers when they came out. They followed him out to the jeep and so did Sky after a few minutes.

It was not easy to swallow Jack's words but there was sense in them. The Red Ranger's wisdom sometimes seemed to be non-existent but at the end, it was always there and he always turned out to be right. Sky had no reason to doubt him.

_**The Terror**_

Pandora and Morgana walked inside the Terror. Pandora was seemingly gloating over her shopping spree and was happy about having defeated that brute at the Arena. She was acting as if nothing was wrong, which she needed to do in order for Grumm to believe her. They walked inside the throne room and kneeled before him.

Pandora looked up at him and scoffed. "Korak? I'm not that little girl you brought into the ship ages ago. I've proven myself to be worthy over these years and still you test me."

"You seem to have acquired a little more bravery and a bolder mouth." Grumm answered, glaring down at her. His eyes lit up a bright red. His bony hand wrapped around her hair and lifted her up slowly to eye level. "To you, it may seem like you overcame those obstacles. But without my influence, you still would be nothing."

"I was never nothing, Grumm." Pandora pushed him away, defiant eyes set upon his own. Morgana had never seen such a confrontation between them. It was true that this girl had once been deadly afraid of him but it seemed that was no longer the case. She was just scared that Grumm would kill them both before they got to execute their plan.

Grumm chuckled at her bravery and let her go, his eyes set upon her. "There is a little story I think you will be interested in."

"Another history lesson? What exactly does the great Emperor know that will enlighten my mind and open it to new ideas?" Pandora asked sarcastically, her voice boasting and scoffing all at the same time. She scoffed and crossed her arms, waiting to hear him.

Grumm got closer to her, returning that look that had always scared her in the past when she was a child. She didn't even quiver this time. Before, Pandora would have shaken life a leaf. He wasn't impressed. He was rarely impressed and this girl's attitude would get on his nerves but he had to be patient. He needed Pandora to get what he wanted and once she had done her duties, it would be easy to dispose of her.

"Long, long ago, in the times were slavery was common on Earth and not punished by law like it is now, those in chains decided to rise up against those that held the whips and chains." Grumm whispered in a threatening voice. Pandora had a good idea of where he was going with this particular story. She was sure it ended up with someone being dead. "Rebellion rose all over the Republic with one warrior leading them up. An army of slaves constantly humiliated the Republic. But at the end, the Republic won."

Grumm got near her ear and hissed, noticing her hands were beginning to tremble. "The slaves were not well versed in fighting and the Republic's army was bigger and stronger. In the end, they were all decimated and executed publicly."

Silently, Pandora wondered if Grumm had come to know of her plans to form her own fraction of an army to decimate his. If that was the case, she was better off dead than alive at that point. She remained still and closed her eyes, putting her hands behind her back so Grumm wouldn't notice them shaking. She looked back at him fearlessly.

Pandora snickered weakly, still attempting to look strong. "You have been reading too much on your history. Is all this supposed to scare me? Trust me, I told you I was with you from start to finish. A rebellion isn't the wisest move."

Morgana bowed before him at the same time as Pandora and left the room with her, following her to her bedroom. She sat down on the girl's bed and sighed softly, watching as Pandora's eyes grew wide with fear.

Pandora looked around her room and outside to spot any possible eavesdroppers and found none. After closing her door, she looked back at Morgana with an expression of pure fear in her eyes. "He knows. We are dead."

"Don't get your panties wet just yet… this all may be a trick to scare us. We were careful, Pandora. Even if he does know, we have to play stupid." Morgana sighed and walked up to her and took her hands. "We have to stick together. We are going to get out of this alive, I promise you."

"I trust you."

When those words came out of Pandora's mouth, Morgana simply nodded, with nothing left to say. This girl had hated her all her life and for good reason and now he was confiding the single most precious thing she had in her: her life. They would get out alive, no matter what it took.


End file.
